Trips Places Foods Stories Newsletters
Loading...
Loading...
Loading...
Loading...

No search results found for
“”

Make sure words are spelled correctly.

Try searching for a travel destination.

Places near me Random place

Popular Destinations

  • Paris
  • London
  • New York
  • Berlin
  • Rome
  • Los Angeles
Trips Places Foods Stories Newsletters
Sign In Join
Places near me Random place
All the Netherlands Breezanddijk Afsluitdijk

Afsluitdijk

The 20-mile causeway that separates the Netherlands from the sea.

Breezanddijk, Netherlands

Added By
Karen
Email
Been Here
Want to go
Added to list
CAPTION
The Afsluitdijk.   MD van Leeuwen/CC BY-SA 3.0
The Afsluitdijk.   C messier/CC BY-SA 4.0
Aerial view of the Afsluitdijk.   Marcus van Leeuwen/CC BY-SA 2.0
An observation tower on the pedestrian bridge.   Directdevice/CC BY-SA 4.0
A satellite image of the Afsluitdijk.   NASA/Public Domain
Afsluitdijk   philoursmars / Atlas Obscura User
Afsluitdijk by night   RomulusRom / Atlas Obscura User
Been Here
Want to go
Added to list

About

The Afsluitdijk is a causeway linking together the provinces of Friesland and North Holland in the Netherlands. Built to protect the flat, coastal country from flooding, the Afsluitdijk dammed the Zuiderzee, an inlet of the North Sea, and created a freshwater lake called the Ijsselmeer.

The Afsluitdijk stretches 20 miles across the water, just 25 feet above sea level. The impressive infrastructure project took over five years to build, officially opening in 1933. The dam was formed by depositing boulder clay from the bottom of the Zuiderzee along the barrier before adding layers of basalt rock and sand. Over 5,000 workers were involved in a daily basis, which helped reduce some of the unemployment during the Great Depression.

The German army attempted to take the Afsluitdijk during World War II, in the 1940 Battle of Afsluitdijk. They bombed the nearby fort, and then sent shock troops on bicycles to seize the dam. However, a strong defense resulted in the Afsluitdijk remaining in Dutch hands until the Dutch surrender later that year. 

Related Tags

Oceans Dams Infrastructure Lakes Water

Know Before You Go

Drive from Noord Holland (Den Oever) or from Friesland (Cornwerd). It is also possible to take the bus 350 to Leeuwarden or Harlingen from Alkmaar across the Afsluitdijk. The bus goes from Leeuwarden toward Alkmaar. The bus stop on the Afsluitdijk is Kop Afsluitdijk. It is also possible to cycle across in the bike lane.

There is a small structure with a restaurant in the middle where visitors can get a cup of coffee or a snack while viewing photos of the causeway's history.

Community Contributors

Added By

wanderlustingk

Edited By

philoursmars, Kerry Wolfe, RomulusRom

  • philoursmars
  • Kerry Wolfe
  • RomulusRom

Published

August 8, 2017

Edit this listing

Make an Edit
Add Photos
Sources
  • http://www.wanderlustingk.com/blog/release-seals-waddenzee-friesland
  • https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Afsluitdijk
  • https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Battle_of_the_Afsluitdijk
Afsluitdijk
Breezanddijk
Netherlands
53.008333, 5.190278
Visit Website

Nearby Places

It Lân Skip

Workum, Netherlands

miles away

Lady of Stavoren

Stavoren, Netherlands

miles away

Hotel de Vrouwe van Stavoren

Stavoren, Netherlands

miles away

Explore the Destination Guide

Photo of Netherlands

Netherlands

Europe

Places 354
Stories 21

Nearby Places

It Lân Skip

Workum, Netherlands

miles away

Lady of Stavoren

Stavoren, Netherlands

miles away

Hotel de Vrouwe van Stavoren

Stavoren, Netherlands

miles away

Explore the Destination Guide

Photo of Netherlands

Netherlands

Europe

Places 354
Stories 21

Related Places

  • Covão dos Conchos.

    Portugal

    Covão dos Conchos

    This gaping hole in the middle of a remote mountain lake looks like a portal to another dimension.

  • The never-used headgate structure at the west end of the dam.

    Bend, Oregon

    Tumalo Dam

    The ruins of a failed dam that was built over land later described as a "sponge."

  • The Pilchowice dam and hydroelectric power plant (north end)

    Pilchowice, Poland

    Pilchowice Hydroelectic Dam

    The tallest stone dam in Poland was opened by Kaiser Wilhelm II himself.

  • Lower area of the spillway.

    Lenexa, Kansas

    Lake Lenexa Dam and Spillway

    An artistically engineered dam designed to honor the relationship between humankind and nature.

  • Lake Powell, Utah

    Cathedral in the Desert

    The damming of the Colorado River buried an iconic geologic formation before record-breaking drought brought it back.

  • Siliserh Lake

    Kishanpur, India

    Siliserh Lake

    In an arid region, this beautiful lake in the Aravalli hills is an unexpected delight.

  • The manmade lake in Puerto Rico’s northwest.

    Quebradillas, Puerto Rico

    Guajataca Lake

    An unnatural lake in a naturally beautiful setting.

  • Attabad Lake in 2016.

    Hunza Nagar, Pakistan

    Attabad Lake

    This dazzlingly turquoise mountain lake was created in the wake of a natural disaster.

Aerial image of Vietnam, displaying the picturesque rice terraces, characterized by their layered, verdant fields.
Atlas Obscura Membership

Become an Atlas Obscura Member


Join our community of curious explorers.

Become a Member

Get Our Email Newsletter

Follow Us

Facebook YouTube TikTok Instagram Pinterest RSS Feed

Get the app

Download the App
Download on the Apple App Store Get it on Google Play
  • All Places
  • Latest Places
  • Most Popular
  • Places to Eat
  • Random
  • Nearby
  • Add a Place
  • Stories
  • Food & Drink
  • Itineraries
  • Lists
  • Video
  • Podcast
  • Newsletters
  • All Trips
  • Family Trip
  • Food & Drink
  • History & Culture
  • Wildlife & Nature
  • FAQ
  • Membership
  • Feedback & Ideas
  • Community Guidelines
  • Product Blog
  • Unique Gifts
  • Work With Us
  • About
  • FAQ
  • Advertise With Us
  • Advertising Guidelines
  • Privacy Policy
  • Cookie Policy
  • Terms of Use
Atlas Obscura

© 2025 Atlas Obscura. All Rights Reserved.