The pilot Polder Andijk, or Test Polder Andijk, ''Proefpolder Andijk'' in Dutch, is a

polder A polder () is a low-lying tract of land that forms an artificial hydrological entity, enclosed by embankments known as dikes. The three types of polder are: # Land reclaimed from a body of water, such as a lake or the seabed # Flood plains s ...

established in 1926 - 1927 in the Zuiderzee near the village of

Andijk Andijk (; fy, Andìk) is a former municipality and a village bordering Lake IJssel in the Netherlands, in the province of North Holland and the region of West-Frisia. Since 1 January 2011 Andijk has been part of Medemblik municipality. The nam ...

. The aim of this prototype is to study the embankments and agriculture for future polders in the

Zuiderzee Works The Zuiderzee Works ( nl, Zuiderzeewerken) is a man-made system of dams and dikes, land reclamation and water drainage work, in total the largest hydraulic engineering project undertaken by the Netherlands during the twentieth century. The proje ...

. In 1929, the pilot polder was inaugurated by

Queen Wilhelmina of the Netherlands Wilhelmina (; Wilhelmina Helena Pauline Maria; 31 August 1880 – 28 November 1962) was Queen of the Netherlands from 1890 until her abdication in 1948. She reigned for nearly 58 years, longer than any other Dutch monarch. Her reign saw World War ...

Construction

In 1924 the Lovink Committee published a proposal to build a pilot polder. This polder could, on a small scale experiment future agriculture. The knowledge would then be used for the

Wieringermeer Wieringermeer () is a former municipality and a polder in the Netherlands, in the province of North Holland. Since 2012 Wieringermeer has been a part of the new municipality of Hollands Kroon. Population centres The former municipality of Wie ...

. For this reason, in 1926-1927 near the village Andijk, of land were reclaimed. On August 27, 1927, the pilot polder was drained. The cost of the polder, about 1 million guilders, was relatively high, but the cost of polders to come should be lower.

Research

The Directorate of

wanted to study the behavior of a soil recovered from the sea, and how saline soils can be cultivated. After the draining was completed, a farm was built as well as laboratories for agriculture, soil science and research in microbiology. Different aspects for optimal use of land have been studied, such as desalination, drying and compacting. Experiments were also made to know the best way to cultivate and to select suitable crops. Some species can concentrate the salt and prepare future plantations.

Results

By 1929 the polder was dry. Rain normally washes salt from reclaimed land in six or seven years; to make the soil useful faster,

gypsum Gypsum is a soft sulfate mineral composed of calcium sulfate dihydrate, with the chemical formula . It is widely mined and is used as a fertilizer and as the main constituent in many forms of plaster, blackboard or sidewalk chalk, and drywall. ...

was added to the soil with different fertilizers in various parts of the

experimental farm A demonstration farm, or model farm, is a farm which is used primarily to research or demonstrate various agricultural techniques, with any economic gains being an added bonus. Demonstration farms are often owned and operated by educational instit ...

. The land became an ordinary farm on 1 November 1935 after tests showed that the polder could be cultivated. With the experience gained in the pilot, development of the polder Wieringermeer was accelerated.

Later use

In the late twentieth century the polder became a site for holiday homes.

References

{{coord, 52, 45, 05, N, 5, 11, 43, E, source:kolossus-nlwiki, display=title Polders of North Holland Land reclamation Environmental soil science Coastal construction Zuiderzee Works Freshwater ecology Medemblik 1927 establishments in the Netherlands