Den Oever, Hippolytushoef, Westerland

The island feeling prevails among the inhabitants of Wieringen. Many want to return to how it used to be, even though they never experienced it themselves. Yet most residents are also proud. Proud of the Zuiderzee Works. After all, it is one of the largest hydraulic engineering projects in the world. And Wieringen is an integral part of it.


The Zuiderzee Works have literally and figuratively put Wieringen on the map. It is even a junction in the system of dykes that protects our country from the water. The Society for the Execution of the Zuiderzee Works, the MUZ, made this possible.

The MUZ cycle route mostly runs along the edges of the former island. After all, this is where the battle against the water had to be fought and the connection with the hinterland had to be made. The traces left by the construction of the Zuiderzee Works are particularly evident here, in the monuments that form part of Wieringen's turbulent history.

Cherish the monuments from the period between when Wieringen was still an island and when it became part of the mainland. The MUZ cycle route takes you past the monuments that were built to make the Zuiderzee Works possible. The villas that adorn the island, the gauge houses that mark the east and west sides of the island and the ridiculously large post office in Hippolytushoef, which would not have looked out of place in a medium-sized town.

Immerse yourself in this mix of feelings. You may sense the melancholy of the slowly fading island feeling, but you will certainly also feel the pride that many Wieringers feel for their role in the Zuiderzee Works.

Tip! At each stop, you can listen to information in audio format. Each audio clip contains a Wieringer Weetje (Wieringer fact), narrated in the local dialect.

The route was made possible by Evert Marsmans, Simon de Haan, photographer Kenneth Stamp, Kade C design agency, Fietsnetwerk.nl and the Zuiderzeewerken programme of the Municipality of Hollands Kroon.