Port of Oud-Emmeloord - Schokland

In 1839, after long discussions, it was decided to expand the small harbour of Emmeloord into a berth for more than three hundred ships. The debate was mainly about whether Ens or Emmeloord should get the credit, but in the end Emmeloord drew the longest straw. The enthusiasm to build such a large harbour is remarkable, as twenty years later the entire island was evacuated.

Yet in 1862, the then Home Affairs Minister decided that the harbour would remain for the benefit of fishermen on the Zuiderzee. A harbour master managed the harbour. For the fishermen, there was a post office, a fish auction and a shop. After the reclamation of the Northeast Polder, the harbour naturally lost its function.

Now, two old buildings from the harbour era can still be seen: the light keeper's house from 1901 and the foghorn house. The light keeper was the same person as the harbour master. He was also responsible for the functioning of the lighthouse, or 'light watch'. The original lighthouse is no longer there, but a replica was built in 2007. The foghorn house was built in 1921, with an installation on the roof to make a loud sound in fog, so boaters knew the harbour was here. The foghorn itself is no longer there but so the cottage still stands.

The harbour itself had disappeared after 1942 but was partly rebuilt in 2004. The dry harbour basin was given jetties, mooring posts, harbour lights and a water pool again.