Lighted entry - a photo on Flickriver

Lighted entry

            The little beacon near the harbour entrance of Marken, Noord-Holland (North Holland), Netherlands

Some background information:

Marken is a community, peninsula and former island located in the municipality of Waterland in the Dutch province of North Holland. The village has a population of 1,810 and is situated in the so-called Markermeer, which is part of the Zuiderzee, a former shallow bay of the North Sea in the northwest of the Netherlands.

Until 1957, Marken was an island, only reachable by boats. However, since then, it is connected with the mainland by a dike resp. causeway that is about 2 km (1.2 miles) in length and can be crossed by vehicles.

Marken is inhabited since the 13th century. In 1232, it was settled by Norbertine monks from Mariëngaarde Abbey in the town of Hallum on the other side of the Zuiderzee.  At that time the island was called "Markaland”, which is probably derived from the word "mark" meaning "boundary". The monks founded a sanctuary on Marken on the site where today’s parish church is located. 

In 1345, the monks were expelled by William the Fourth of Holland. Their property was confiscated and their land was surveyed and counted. In the second half of the 14th century, the land was flooded more and more often. Therefore the residents of Marken began to raise mounts, on which they rebuilt their homes, high and dry from the water. 

In the 17th century the people, who were mainly fishermen, developed their own kind of fishing boat, equipped with wet ship’s holds and a flat bottom. Initially these boats where used for fishing, as well as for the transport of live fish. In 1700, a lighthouse was built on the island of Marken. This lighthouse, that is still existent, was named the "Paard van Marken" (in English: "Horse of Marken"), because of its characteristic shape, that is evocative of a horse. 

As from 1880, the period of impressionism, Marken was visited by painters, as well as folklorists, ethnographers and physical anthropologists, who regarded the small fishing town as a relic of the traditional native culture that was destined to disappear on the Dutch mainland as the modernization of the Netherlands gained pace. 

In 1916, a dvastating flood ravaged the Netherlands because of a huge storm and excessive melt water from the major rivers. This disaster gave impetus to the construction of the great dam "Afsluitdijk" which separated the Zuiderzee from the North Sea.

In former times the Zuiderzee extended about 100 km (60 miles) inland. It was at most 50 km (30 miles) wide and had a coastline of about 300 km (200 miles). In 1932, the dam was completed and the Zuiderzee became the Markermeer and the Ijsselmeer. As a consequence, both Markermeer and Ijsselmeer gradually also  became bodies of freshwater. The dam resp. dike, which has a length of 32 km (20 miles), connects the Dutch provinces North Holland and Friesland by a motorway on its top. However, Markermeer and Ijsselmeer are still used for fishing. Furthermore, two complexes of shipping locks on both ends of the dike enable all kinds of vessels to sail from the Ijsselmeer to the North Sea and the other way round.

As already mentioned above, the island of Marken finally became a peninsula in 1957. Today Marken is a popular tourist attraction in the Netherlands, well known for its special fishing boats, its characteristic buildings and its traditional garb. There is also a regular ferry connection to the town of Volendam on the mainland. A visit of Marken is highly recommended if you should be interested in viewing a still rather traditional spot of land in the Netherlands.

Taken in: Nederland / Noord-Holland / Marken (show map)

Taken on: September 9, 2017

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Sets appears in: • Netherlands 2017 • Buildings - Netherlands more » • Lakes • Summer « less

Groups appears in: • Nederland/The Netherlands • Boats more » • Dutch • European Vacation • Geotagged: Netherlands • Boats n' stuff • Boats of All Kind • Boats only • Toward the sky... 1 Post / 3 Awards • Lighthouse Trek • ₪ BOATS + SHIPS ꖿꖿ PhotoGallery ₪ • Strictly GeoTagged (no 30/60 limit) • Fotografie Nederland • The concept is Europe • Sky glory • I love Boats • Sky Above [Please, NO photos with Moon in it!] « less

Camera: Canon PowerShot SX20 IS, f/4.5, 1/1250 sec, 9.9mm, ISO 160 (more info) (hide info)

Camera:	Canon PowerShot SX20 IS
Lens:	5.0-100.0 mm
Aperture:	f/4.5
Exposure Time:	0.001 sec (1/1250)
Focal Length:	9.9mm
ISO:	160
Exposure Bias:	0 EV
Flash:	Off, Did not fire
Exposure Mode:	Auto
Metering Mode:	Multi-segment
White Balance:	Auto
Color Space:	sRGB
Software:	Adobe Photoshop CS6 (Windows)
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