Redactioneel

Abstract

This edition of OverHolland turns the spotlight on the water management system in a part of the Netherlands known as Randstad Holland, namely the area between the Maas and IJ rivers, the North Sea coastal dunes and the Utrechtse Heuvelrug. This study was prompted by a unique, four-sheet map, on a scale of 1:50,000, published in 1901: the Polderkaart van de landen tusschen Maas and IJ (Polder map of the lands between Maas and IJ), made by Willem Hendricus Hoekwater (1865- 1956), a teacher in Amsterdam. It was the first comprehensive overview of the water system in this area, which is almost entirely below sea level and is regarded as the main driver of the Dutch economy. It is the most urbanised and most densely populated part of the Netherlands. Hoekwater’s map shows the various water management entities in the area and how those entities discharged excess polder water into waterbodies outside the dykes. The map is also remarkable from a graphic point of view. Gradations in the colours of the various water capture areas (boezems) make it possible to follow the course of the water from boezem to discharge point.