We Dutchies are proud of our fight against water. In the case of Schokland, we thought the water would win until we decided to drain a whole province from the sea. That’s how the former island Schokland became an island on land in the province Flevoland.

History of Flevoland

The concept of claiming land from sea isn’t new. Just think about islands such as Yas Island in Abu Dhabi and a plethora of artificial islands in Dubai: palm islands, and the island Burj Al Arab (the 7* hotel) stands on. What makes the Dutch province Flevoland so special is firstly the fact that the southern island is the largest artifical island in the world, and the fact that there used to be little islands in the Zuiderzee which are now islands on top of the reclaimed land.

History of Schokland

This is where the story of Schokland comes in. A story I didn’t know about, until I looked through the list of Dutch UNESCO sites. Schokland was an island for an incredibly long time – there are prehistoric remains on the site. As the sea encroached the island had to be evacuated, which happened in the 19th century. Once the whole province was laid bare from the sea in the 20th century, the cultural heritage of the former island could be explored.

There’s a cute little museum which can be visited for more information on the history.

Tour

I chose to explore the site instead, by booking a historical hike on the website of the Flevolandschap (link is in Dutch). The added perk of the hike was the traditional Dutch hearty pancake at the end.

The start of the tour was at the Gesteentetuin (Stone Garden). Rocks from all parts of the world came drifting to the area during the ice age, and some of these rocks including details about their original location can be found here. This is not an area we focused on during the tour though, because we were more interested in Schokland itself.

The tour takes people around parts of the outline of the island. We walked towards the south and then back again, so we didn’t do a full loop. It is, however, possible to walk all around the island in one day, because it’s only four kilometres from north to south and 200 metres from east to west.

It’s easy to see where Schokland starts and ends as the grass is slightly higher than the area surrounding it. If you search for a map of Schokland you’ll clearly see the outline.

Life on Schokland

Nowadays, only five people live in Schokland, but back in the 19th century when the ‘Schokkers’ had to evacuate the island there were 650 inhabitants. Apparently, they have very common names so they can be picked out in a crowd of Dutchies. My guide became very excited when one of the people from the tour told him her last name and told him her grandmother was from the island. He straightaway ran to a very artsy looking graveyard to look for her ancestors.

The remnants of life before the flood isn’t only visible with the dead; there are also some structures still standing. What I enjoyed most was the harbour and the lighthouse, these are the living proof it used to be an island. Nowadays these structures are nowhere near the sea.

There are some houses scattered around the former island as well but not many. On the north part of the island there are some churches, which I missed out on.

The story I like most, is the one about the ‘Schokker’ dance. The inhabitants of the island built flimsy wooden planks to go from one place to the next. The space on the planks was so tight that when pedestrians had to pass each other by they had to hold on to each other so they wouldn’t push the other into the sea.

Imagine the flirting going on there!

After three hours of walking we reached the end of the tour, but not before I ran into the cutest sheep I have ever seen! I have no clue what kind of sheep this is, but how incredibly precious do they look?

Conclusion

I wonder how many people have heard about this site, yet it’s a great place to visit. An island on top of dry land is not the most common sight in the world, let alone one that has all of its historic and prehistoric treasures preserved.

I’m trying to show that the Netherlands isn’t just Amsterdam, Rotterdam or The Hague. We also have a beautiful natural landscape, and a rich history especially when it comes to the sea. This summer I’m staying here because I’ll be busy moving into my apartment. Basically, you can expect many more gems from this little country which is home to many more surprises than you might think!