The Rotterdam Corner - Creil

When Nazi Germany attacked the Netherlands in 1940, the city of Rotterdam was heavily bombed. Soon after the Netherlands surrendered, the German occupation forces began clearing the rubble from Rotterdam. Some of that rubble was taken to the Noordoostpolder, which was still under construction at the time. The debris was stored near Urk for a long time and dumped into the sea during 1942/1943 as a foundation for the stretch of dike that had yet to be built.

The work on the dike was partly carried out by men who wanted to avoid the German 'arbeitseinsatz'. Thanks to Bert Knipmeijer, a personnel officer at the Rijksdienst voor de IJsselmeerpolders in Kampen, they were able to work here. These workers named the stretch of dike the Rotterdam Corner, lest it be forgotten where the rubble used came from.

In 1950, a 7.5-metre-high tower was built on the corner, which was to act as a lighthouse. The corner was known as a dangerous place, as currents and wind often caused ships to run into trouble here. The tower remained in function until 2001 and is now a beautiful vantage point. The tower features a poem by 'water poet' Niels Blomberg commissioned by the Zuiderzeeland Water Board. From the dike, you can also see the Noordoostpolder wind farm on the IJsselmeer from here. Part of the nearby polder has been developed into a nature reserve, also named Rotterdamse Hoek.