The IJ (; sometimes shown on old
maps as ''Y'' or ''Ye'') is a
body of water
A body of water or waterbody (often spelled water body) is any significant accumulation of water on the surface of Earth or another planet. The term most often refers to oceans, seas, and lakes, but it includes smaller pools of water such as ...
, formerly a
bay
A bay is a recessed, coastal body of water that directly connects to a larger main body of water, such as an ocean, a lake, or another bay. A large bay is usually called a gulf, sea, sound, or bight. A cove is a small, circular bay with a na ...
, in the
Dutch province of
North Holland
North Holland ( nl, Noord-Holland, ) is a province of the Netherlands in the northwestern part of the country. It is located on the North Sea, north of South Holland and Utrecht, and west of Friesland and Flevoland. In November 2019, it had a ...
. It is known for being
Amsterdam's waterfront.
Etymology
The name IJ is derived from the
West Frisian word ''ie'', alternatively spelled ''ije'', meaning water and cognate with the English word
ea. The name consists of the
digraph ij which is capitalized as IJ.
Geography
Today, the IJ is divided into two parts:
* To the west of the Oranjesluizen (
Oranje Locks), the Binnen-IJ (inner IJ), or Afgesloten-IJ (closed IJ), is directly connected to the
North Sea Canal
The North Sea Canal ( nl, Noordzeekanaal) is a Dutch ship canal from Amsterdam to the North Sea at IJmuiden, constructed between 1865 and 1876 to enable seafaring vessels to reach the port of Amsterdam. This man-made channel terminates at Amster ...
, where the port of IJmuiden and the
North Sea can be reached.
* To the east of the Oranjesluizen, the Buiten-IJ (outer IJ) is an extension of the
IJmeer which is itself an extension of the
Markermeer
The Markermeer () is a lake in the central Netherlands in between North Holland, Flevoland, and its smaller and larger neighbors, the IJmeer and IJsselmeer. A shallow lake at 3 to 5 m in depth, matching the reclaimed land to its west, ...
.
The IJ is connected to the North Sea to the west and the IJmeer to the east by a set of
locks.
History
There are several theories about the origins of the IJ. Perhaps it began as a stream, following a breakthrough in the dunes of
Castricum
Castricum () is a municipality and a town in the province of North Holland in the Netherlands.
Castricum is a seaside town in the province of North Holland. It draws in a fair share of tourists who mainly come to visit the beach and nearby dune la ...
.
More likely, the IJ is a remnant of a northern arm of the
Rhine delta
), Surselva, Graubünden, Switzerland
, source1_coordinates=
, source1_elevation =
, source2 = Rein Posteriur/Hinterrhein
, source2_location = Paradies Glacier, Graubünden, Switzerland
, source2_coordinates=
, sourc ...
.
Finally, the IJ could also come from the lake
Almere
Almere () is a planned city and municipality in the province of Flevoland, Netherlands, located about 20 km to the east of Amsterdam (as the crow flies) across the IJmeer.
Bordering Lelystad and Zeewolde, the municipality of Almere compr ...
or
Flevo.
During the Roman period the IJ connected on one side with lake Flevo and the
Vecht (Utrecht)
The Vecht is a Rhine branch in the Dutch province of Utrecht. It is sometimes called Utrechtse Vecht to avoid confusion with its Overijssel counterpart. The area along the river is called the Vechtstreek.
Geography
The Vecht originates from the ...
and the other with the North Sea. Connection with the North Sea has subsequently disappeared, while the IJ in the Middle Ages has expanded. This is due to the emergence of the
Zuiderzee, itself a bay of the North Sea resulting from a number of storms.
At the end of the
Middle Ages, the IJ was a long and narrow
brackish
Brackish water, sometimes termed brack water, is water occurring in a natural environment that has more salinity than freshwater, but not as much as seawater. It may result from mixing seawater (salt water) and fresh water together, as in estuar ...
bay that connected to the
Zuiderzee and stretched from Amsterdam in the east to
Velsen in the west. At its west end, only the natural
dune ridge across the Dutch North Sea
coast
The coast, also known as the coastline or seashore, is defined as the area where land meets the ocean, or as a line that forms the boundary between the land and the coastline. The Earth has around of coastline. Coasts are important zones in ...
prevented the IJ, which
grew ever larger through the centuries, from directly connecting to the North Sea and so making the North Holland
peninsula nearly an island. By the seventeenth century, however, access to the IJ became difficult due to
sand bars across its mouth, and ships becoming bigger, and it was nearly impossible for seafaring vessels to reach the city of Amsterdam. At the same time, the bay
gnawed away at the surrounding
farmlands, almost connecting with the
Haarlemmermeer (Lake Haarlem) and seriously threatening the cities of
Haarlem and Amsterdam.
Plans were put forth to
reclaim both the Haarlemmermeer and the IJ and turn them into
polders. The Haarlemmermeer was first, falling dry in 1852, and the largest part of the IJ followed suit between 1865 and 1876, with only a small lake remaining at Amsterdam that was closed off from the Zuiderzee by the Oranje
lock
Lock(s) may refer to:
Common meanings
*Lock and key, a mechanical device used to secure items of importance
*Lock (water navigation), a device for boats to transit between different levels of water, as in a canal
Arts and entertainment
* ''Lock ...
s. At the same time, the
North Sea Canal
The North Sea Canal ( nl, Noordzeekanaal) is a Dutch ship canal from Amsterdam to the North Sea at IJmuiden, constructed between 1865 and 1876 to enable seafaring vessels to reach the port of Amsterdam. This man-made channel terminates at Amster ...
was constructed in the former IJ basin to provide Amsterdam with access to the sea again and revive
its ailing port. It cut through the isthmus to connect to the North Sea near the town of Velsen; a new
port,
IJmuiden ("IJ's mouth") was built at its west end. The east end of the IJ polders near Amsterdam was given over to industry, and a large new
seaport area was constructed.
The Buiten-IJ hosted the mixed dinghy
sailing events for the
1928 Summer Olympics
The 1928 Summer Olympics ( nl, Olympische Zomerspelen 1928), officially known as the Games of the IX Olympiad ( nl, Spelen van de IXe Olympiade) and commonly known as Amsterdam 1928, was an international multi-sport event that was celebrated from ...
in neighboring Amsterdam. It also hosted two
events
Event may refer to:
Gatherings of people
* Ceremony, an event of ritual significance, performed on a special occasion
* Convention (meeting), a gathering of individuals engaged in some common interest
* Event management, the organization of ev ...
for the
1920 Summer Olympics
The 1920 Summer Olympics (french: Jeux olympiques d'été de 1920; nl, Olympische Zomerspelen van 1920; german: Olympische Sommerspiele 1920), officially known as the Games of the VII Olympiad (french: Jeux de la VIIe olympiade; nl, Spelen van ...
in
Antwerp
Antwerp (; nl, Antwerpen ; french: Anvers ; es, Amberes) is the largest city in Belgium by area at and the capital of Antwerp Province in the Flemish Region. With a population of 520,504, .
The nautical event
SAIL Amsterdam
SAIL Amsterdam is a quinquennial maritime event in Amsterdam in the Netherlands. Tall ships from all over the world visit the city to moor in its eastern harbour.
The 2020 event was cancelled due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
History
The event ...
takes place on and around the IJ.
References
External links
*
{{Olympic venues sailing
Former bays
Geography of Amsterdam
Lakes of the Netherlands
Landforms of North Holland
Olympic sailing venues
Venues of the 1920 Summer Olympics
Venues of the 1928 Summer Olympics