Delta Works
Photo: Raimond Spekking, CC BY-SA 4.0 via Wikimedia Commons
The Delta Works (Dutch: Deltawerken) are a series of flood protection structures built between 1950 and 1997 in the southwest of the Netherlands, to protect a large area of land around the Rhine-Meuse-Scheldt delta from the sea. The works consist of dams, sluices, locks, dikes, and storm surge barriers. Along with the Zuiderzee Works, they have been declared one of the Seven Wonders of the Modern World by the American Society of Civil Engineers.
UnderstandThe estuaries of the Rhine, Meuse and Scheldt have been subject to flooding for centuries.
Get inThe Delta Works consists of structures that are scattered over Zeeland and South Holland.
Get aroundIt's possible to drive over the Delta Works by car, to get an idea of the massive nature of the structure.
SeeThe fourteen works below are rarely in action, which in itself is a good thing. They are most often only active during storms. The first time the five major works were closed was January 3, 2018.
Do
Eat, drink, and sleepThe visitor's centres are all meant as day trip destinations and there's no accommodation available in any of them. There's plenty of places to stay in the many towns, though.
Nearby cities
See also
Sources and licences
- Guide text adapted from the Wikivoyage article "Delta Works" by its contributors, available under CC BY-SA 4.0. Read on Wikivoyage · Contributors · CC BY-SA 4.0
- Photo: Raimond Spekking, CC BY-SA 4.0 via Wikimedia Commons