In this exhibition, get to know both the former and current residents of the Zuiderzee region, who tell about their daily lives, work, clothing, houses and leisure activities. About their customs and their celebrations from then and now. And about their eternal battle against the water and the construction of the dike that changed everything: the enclosing dyke. In the Zuiderzee Museum you will find the largest museum collection of ships in the Netherlands. The iron ships are in the harbour of the outdoor museum and the most important wooden ships in the Schepenhal. By means of audiovisual presentations you imagine yourself 100 years back on the Zuiderzee; once a wild open sea full of fish, salt water and wild waves - where around 1900 two thousand fishing boats sailed every day. Experience how a fishing boat holds its ground when it thunders and lightning and how an ice floe with scratching irons is pushed across the frozen Zuiderzee to and from Urk.

History of the Afsluitdijk 32 km the length of the Afsluitdijk: Due to the many dike breaches, there were already ideas in the 17th century to close off the Zuiderzee, but these did not become serious until the end of the 19th century. In 1891, the young engineer Cornelis Lely worked out the first plans for the Afsluitdijk. In 1913, as Minister of Water Management, he ensured that the project was put on the cabinet's agenda. Nevertheless, it was decided to postpone these plans. During the First World War, many Dutch people went hungry, which increased the demand for self-sufficiency in terms of food. Creating agricultural land was therefore given priority. Unfortunately, things went badly wrong in 1916. A flood occurred in the Zuiderzee area, later known as the Flood Disaster of 1916. There were deaths, injuries, thousands of people lost their homes and the economic damage was enormous.

The adoption of Lely's Zuiderzee Act occurred in 1918. The Zuiderzee Works, which resulted from the Act, radically changed the appearance of the Netherlands. The Afsluitdijk would become a hydraulic engineering project that was unparalleled. Thanks to this enormous project, the Netherlands could show the world what it was capable of. The Zuiderzee Works Service was established and 2 years later (1920), work began to close off the Zuiderzee. On 28 May 1932, the last closing gap, the Vlieter, was closed. The closure was a fact, the Zuiderzee was henceforth called the IJsselmeer. A year later, traffic was able to drive over the dike, the current A7 motorway, again.

Visit the nice and most beautiful places in The Netherlands: Giethoorn the Dutch Venice village. Enjoy the peacefulness and nature of this idyllic village. Take a guided boat tour of 1c hour underneath the linden trees, admire the typical wooden bridges and the old farmhouses. You can also drive a small boat by yourself. If you prefer to drive the boat by yourself please inform your driver so he can arrange that for you. After the canal cruise you can have a nice lunch in one of the nice restaurants in town or you can stroll in the nice Giethoorn village.

Possibility to stroll in the old town and explore this great Dutch Venice village.

Possibility to have a nice lunch in Giethoorn.