The Flood Protection Wall - Wijk bij Duurstede

On the river side of the historic town of Wijk bij Duurstede you will find a flood protection wall. This has been working as a water barrier for seven centuries. High-water marks can still be found here. At high tide, the gate is closed with a steel door. There is a great view from the rampart. In winter, the car park along the harbour is regularly flooded. Then you sometimes only see the steel statue of a Viking (placed in 2010) sticking out above the high water. Wijk bij Duurstede, once Dorestad, was attacked several times by Vikings. In 850, the town fell. The statue is a reminder of this.

Some 30 volunteers worked for three years to recreate a replica of a Viking ship as faithfully as possible. The Dorestat-1 lies in the harbour of Wijk bij Duurstede during the summer. Can you see it lying there? It is sailed and rowed in groups.

Wijk bij Duurstede used to be called Dorestad; due to its location on the river, it was an important and successful inter-regional trading town in the Middle Ages. Its heyday was from the end of the seventh to the middle of the ninth century. Around the middle of the ninth century, Dorestad went into decline. The population at that time is estimated at a few thousand people.