The battle against water can be found in The West Frisian landscape. This area has been under the influence of the sea for a long time. When the population increased in the late Middle Ages, people began to provide structural protection against the water. Dikes were connected until the eventual West Frisian Omringdijk was created.
The reclamation can also still be found. When the Zijpepolder was drained, the first hamlets such as Schagerbrug, Sint Maartensbrug and Burgerbrug were created. From 1600, this polder was drained by about twenty mills. Each mill took its own share. Some of those mills with their abbreviations can still be found in this polder. They are worth a visit (often by appointment)!
