Schokland, former island
Emmeloord, Schokland, Wellerwaard
Schokland was once an island in the Zuiderzee, but has not been since the reclamation of the Northeast Polder in 1942. It was once a peninsula, but floods turned it into an island in the 15th century. South of Schokland, the river IJssel flowed into the sea and north into the Vecht. Incidentally, Schokland did not get its name until 1806, during the time of the French occupation of the Netherlands. The name was probably derived from the swear name given to the inhabitants, 'schokkers'. A 'schokke' was a cane or dried piece of cow dung used as fuel. The people who lived on the island were generally so poor that they could not afford to buy peat. Consequently, large numbers of people never lived on the island because there were few economic opportunities. People tried to make a living from fishing, but this was often difficult. There were two villages on the island: Emmeloord in the north and Ens in the south. Emmeloord belonged to the county of Holland, the south to the province of Overijssel. During the Eighty Years' War against the Spaniards, which was also partly a religious conflict, the inhabitants of Ens opted for Protestantism while those of Emmeloord remained Catholic. This led to a division that was typical of the Netherlands for centuries: Catholics and Protestants lived strictly separated from each other and, for example, mutual marriages were unthinkable. On Schokland, this division was also very physical: a waterway ran between the two villages, which could only be crossed by a narrow gangway. Life on the island was tough not only because of poverty, but also because of the constant threat of the sea. With some regularity, the dykes proved not strong enough and there were floods. The island also became narrower and narrower as the beaches and dunes eroded. In 1825, a storm surge even flooded the entire island. In the years that followed, residents had to be evacuated regularly to the mainland. In 1859, it was decided to declare the island permanently uninhabitable. The approximately 650 residents had to leave the island, their houses were demolished and the remains were used to build new houses on the mainland. A small part of the residents went to Volendam, the majority to the town of Vollenhove and the village of Brunnepe, near Kampen. Schokland thus became an uninhabited island, and from 1942 it was no longer even an island. For decades, it lay more or less anonymously in the new polder and was at best used as farmland. From the 1980s, more attention came to the island's special history, partly due to archaeological discoveries. These showed that people had already lived in the area 10,000 years ago. Remains of old buildings and dykes were also found and partly restored or reconstructed. All this led to Schokland being recognised as a World Heritage Site by Unesco in 1995 and thus having a protected status ever since. Old print: Overijssels Archives This Premium cycle route was compiled by our editor: Frans Glissenaar.
| Directions | Distance | Total distance | |
|
Start: Oosterringweg , 8314 AE Noordoostpolder | 48.6 KM | |
|
From
7
to
25
|
1595 M | 1.6 KM | |
| Head southeast | 884 M | ||
| Continue onto Oosterringweg | 711 M | ||
| You are now at section 25 | 0 M | ||
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From
25
to
15
|
6373 M | 6.4 KM | |
| Head south on Friesepad | 31 M | ||
| Turn left onto Oosterringweg (N715) | 12 M | ||
| Turn right onto Friesepad | 2.1 KM | ||
| Turn left | 2.6 KM | ||
| Continue straight | 35 M | ||
| Continue straight | 2 M | ||
| Turn left | 102 M | ||
| Continue onto Kuinderweg | 1.5 KM | ||
| You are now at section 15 | 0 M | ||
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From
15
to
82
|
2559 M | 2.6 KM | |
| Head southeast on Oosterringweg | 2.6 KM | ||
| You are now at section 82 | 0 M | ||
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From
82
to
90
|
3991 M | 4 KM | |
| Head southeast on Oosterringweg | 1.2 KM | ||
| Turn left to stay on Oosterringweg | 2.8 KM | ||
| You are now at section 90 | 0 M | ||
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From
90
to
30
|
830 M | 0.8 KM | |
| Head southwest | 45 M | ||
| Continue onto Dokter M. Rijkenhof; dokter M. Rijkenhof | 61 M | ||
| Make a slight left | 63 M | ||
| Turn left onto Noordzoom | 14 M | ||
| Turn right onto Oosteinde | 325 M | ||
| Make a slight left onto Breestraat | 322 M | ||
| You are now at section 30 | 0 M | ||
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From
30
to
49
|
1509 M | 1.5 KM | |
| Head west on Sluis | 125 M | ||
| Turn left onto Walcherselaan | 10 M | ||
| Turn right to stay on Walcherselaan | 83 M | ||
| Turn left onto Walcherselaan | 48 M | ||
| Turn left | 1.2 KM | ||
| You are now at section 49 | 0 M | ||
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From
49
to
64
|
876 M | 0.9 KM | |
| Head south | 876 M | ||
| You are now at section 64 | 0 M | ||
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From
64
to
95
|
1625 M | 1.6 KM | |
| Head southwest | 7 M | ||
| Turn right | 6 M | ||
| Turn left onto Mammouthweg | 16 M | ||
| Turn right to stay on Mammouthweg | 1.6 KM | ||
| You are now at section 95 | 0 M | ||
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From
95
to
81
|
3196 M | 3.2 KM | |
| Head southwest on Mammouthweg | 3.2 KM | ||
| You are now at section 81 | 0 M | ||
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From
81
to
70
|
1378 M | 1.4 KM | |
| Head northwest on Drietorensweg | 893 M | ||
| Turn left onto Sloefweg | 478 M | ||
| Turn left to stay on Sloefweg | 7 M | ||
| You are now at section 70 | 0 M | ||
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From
70
to
20
|
1377 M | 1.4 KM | |
| Head west | 534 M | ||
| Turn right | 7 M | ||
| Turn left onto Vliegtuigweg | 836 M | ||
| You are now at section 20 | 0 M | ||
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From
20
to
87
|
1075 M | 1.1 KM | |
| Head south | 1.1 KM | ||
| You are now at section 87 | 0 M | ||
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From
87
to
21
|
833 M | 0.8 KM | |
| Head east on Vluchthavenpad | 317 M | ||
| Keep left onto Vluchthavenpad | 515 M | ||
| You are now at section 21 | 0 M | ||
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From
21
to
61
|
1885 M | 1.9 KM | |
| Head south on Plankenpad | 1.9 KM | ||
| Turn right onto Middelbuurt | 13 M | ||
| You are now at section 61 | 0 M | ||
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From
61
to
47
|
2096 M | 2.1 KM | |
| Head south on Middelbuurt | 224 M | ||
| Turn right onto Ruïnepad | 1.8 KM | ||
| Turn right onto Ruïnepad | 104 M | ||
| You are now at section 47 | 0 M | ||
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From
47
to
75
|
2034 M | 2 KM | |
| Head northwest on Rivierduinpad | 2 KM | ||
| You are now at section 75 | 0 M | ||
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From
75
to
37
|
1803 M | 1.8 KM | |
| Head west on Schokkerringweg | 27 M | ||
| Turn right onto Keileemweg | 15 M | ||
| Continue slightly right onto Schokkerringweg | 2 M | ||
| Make a slight left onto Keileemweg | 1.8 KM | ||
| Turn right onto Oud Emmeloorderweg | 8 M | ||
| You are now at section 37 | 0 M | ||
|
From
37
to
87
|
576 M | 0.6 KM | |
| Head north on Vluchthavenpad | 576 M | ||
| You are now at section 87 | 0 M | ||
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From
87
to
20
|
1075 M | 1.1 KM | |
| Head north | 1.1 KM | ||
| You are now at section 20 | 0 M | ||
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From
20
to
13
|
2361 M | 2.4 KM | |
| Head north | 611 M | ||
| Turn right onto Dinah Mightpad | 1.8 KM | ||
| You are now at section 13 | 0 M | ||
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From
13
to
65
|
2155 M | 2.2 KM | |
| Head northeast | 2.2 KM | ||
| You are now at section 65 | 0 M | ||
|
From
65
to
27
|
996 M | 1 KM | |
| Head northwest | 9 M | ||
| Turn right | 42 M | ||
| Turn right | 606 M | ||
| Continue onto Nagelerbrug | 9 M | ||
| Continue straight | 330 M | ||
| You are now at section 27 | 0 M | ||
|
From
27
to
71
|
277 M | 0.3 KM | |
| Head north | 51 M | ||
| Turn right onto de Deel | 12 M | ||
| Make a slight left | 4 M | ||
| Continue onto Beursstraat | 192 M | ||
| Turn right | 18 M | ||
| You are now at section 71 | 0 M | ||
|
From
71
to
93
|
1326 M | 1.3 KM | |
| Head northeast | 15 M | ||
| Make a slight left | 52 M | ||
| Turn right onto Pastoor Koopmansplein | 332 M | ||
| Make a slight right | 927 M | ||
| You are now at section 93 | 0 M | ||
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From
93
to
48
|
70 M | 0.1 KM | |
| Head north | 70 M | ||
| You are now at section 48 | 0 M | ||
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From
48
to
96
|
3142 M | 3.1 KM | |
| Head north | 3.1 KM | ||
| You are now at section 96 | 0 M | ||
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From
96
to
7
|
1587 M | 1.6 KM | |
| Head north | 1.6 KM | ||
| You are now at section 07 | 0 M |