Schokland, former island
Emmeloord, Schokland, Wellerwaard
Schokland was once an island in the Zuiderzee, but has not been since the reclamation of the Northeast Polder in 1942. It was once a peninsula, but floods turned it into an island in the 15th century. South of Schokland, the river IJssel flowed into the sea and north into the Vecht. Incidentally, Schokland did not get its name until 1806, during the time of the French occupation of the Netherlands. The name was probably derived from the swear name given to the inhabitants, 'schokkers'. A 'schokke' was a cane or dried piece of cow dung used as fuel. The people who lived on the island were generally so poor that they could not afford to buy peat. Consequently, large numbers of people never lived on the island because there were few economic opportunities. People tried to make a living from fishing, but this was often difficult. There were two villages on the island: Emmeloord in the north and Ens in the south. Emmeloord belonged to the county of Holland, the south to the province of Overijssel. During the Eighty Years' War against the Spaniards, which was also partly a religious conflict, the inhabitants of Ens opted for Protestantism while those of Emmeloord remained Catholic. This led to a division that was typical of the Netherlands for centuries: Catholics and Protestants lived strictly separated from each other and, for example, mutual marriages were unthinkable. On Schokland, this division was also very physical: a waterway ran between the two villages, which could only be crossed by a narrow gangway. Life on the island was tough not only because of poverty, but also because of the constant threat of the sea. With some regularity, the dykes proved not strong enough and there were floods. The island also became narrower and narrower as the beaches and dunes eroded. In 1825, a storm surge even flooded the entire island. In the years that followed, residents had to be evacuated regularly to the mainland. In 1859, it was decided to declare the island permanently uninhabitable. The approximately 650 residents had to leave the island, their houses were demolished and the remains were used to build new houses on the mainland. A small part of the residents went to Volendam, the majority to the town of Vollenhove and the village of Brunnepe, near Kampen. Schokland thus became an uninhabited island, and from 1942 it was no longer even an island. For decades, it lay more or less anonymously in the new polder and was at best used as farmland. From the 1980s, more attention came to the island's special history, partly due to archaeological discoveries. These showed that people had already lived in the area 10,000 years ago. Remains of old buildings and dykes were also found and partly restored or reconstructed. All this led to Schokland being recognised as a World Heritage Site by Unesco in 1995 and thus having a protected status ever since. Old print: Overijssels Archives This Premium cycle route was compiled by our editor: Frans Glissenaar.
| Directions | Distance | Total distance | |
|
Start: Oosterringweg , 8314 AE Noordoostpolder | 45.8 KM | |
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From
7
to
96
|
1577 M | 1.6 KM | |
| Head south | 1.6 KM | ||
| You are now at section 96 | 0 M | ||
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From
96
to
48
|
3153 M | 3.2 KM | |
| Head south | 3.2 KM | ||
| You are now at section 48 | 0 M | ||
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From
48
to
93
|
70 M | 0.1 KM | |
| Head south | 70 M | ||
| You are now at section 93 | 0 M | ||
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From
93
to
71
|
1337 M | 1.3 KM | |
| Head south | 891 M | ||
| Turn right | 13 M | ||
| Turn left onto Boslaan | 382 M | ||
| Make a slight right | 35 M | ||
| Make a slight left | 16 M | ||
| You are now at section 71 | 0 M | ||
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From
71
to
27
|
262 M | 0.3 KM | |
| Head south on Beursstraat | 184 M | ||
| Turn right to stay on Beursstraat | 9 M | ||
| Continue straight | 17 M | ||
| Turn right | 52 M | ||
| You are now at section 27 | 0 M | ||
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From
27
to
18
|
2324 M | 2.3 KM | |
| Head west on Kampwal | 408 M | ||
| Make a slight right | 164 M | ||
| Turn right | 24 M | ||
| Turn left onto Urkerweg | 123 M | ||
| Continue straight | 258 M | ||
| Turn left | 191 M | ||
| Continue onto Urkerweg | 215 M | ||
| Continue straight | 589 M | ||
| Continue onto Urkerweg | 352 M | ||
| You are now at section 18 | 0 M | ||
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From
18
to
13
|
4421 M | 4.4 KM | |
| Head northwest on Hannie Schaftweg | 1.3 KM | ||
| Make a slight left | 21 M | ||
| Turn right | 24 M | ||
| Continue onto Hannie Schaftweg | 537 M | ||
| Continue straight | 1.6 KM | ||
| Turn left | 1 KM | ||
| You are now at section 13 | 0 M | ||
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From
13
to
20
|
2361 M | 2.4 KM | |
| Head southeast on Dinah Mightpad | 1.8 KM | ||
| Turn left | 611 M | ||
| You are now at section 20 | 0 M | ||
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From
20
to
87
|
1075 M | 1.1 KM | |
| Head south | 1.1 KM | ||
| You are now at section 87 | 0 M | ||
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From
87
to
37
|
576 M | 0.6 KM | |
| Head south on Vluchthavenpad | 576 M | ||
| You are now at section 37 | 0 M | ||
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From
37
to
75
|
1802 M | 1.8 KM | |
| Head west on Oud Emmeloorderweg | 8 M | ||
| Turn left onto Keileemweg | 1.7 KM | ||
| Continue onto Schokkerringweg | 22 M | ||
| Turn left to stay on Schokkerringweg | 27 M | ||
| You are now at section 75 | 0 M | ||
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From
75
to
47
|
2034 M | 2 KM | |
| Head south on Rivierduinpad | 2 KM | ||
| You are now at section 47 | 0 M | ||
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From
47
to
61
|
2096 M | 2.1 KM | |
| Head southeast on Ruïnepad | 104 M | ||
| Turn left to stay on Ruïnepad | 1.8 KM | ||
| Turn left onto Middelbuurt | 9 M | ||
| Turn right to stay on Middelbuurt | 215 M | ||
| You are now at section 61 | 0 M | ||
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From
61
to
21
|
1886 M | 1.9 KM | |
| Head north on Middelbuurt | 14 M | ||
| Make a slight left onto Plankenpad | 1.9 KM | ||
| You are now at section 21 | 0 M | ||
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From
21
to
37
|
225 M | 0.2 KM | |
| Head west on Oud Emmeloorderweg | 225 M | ||
| You are now at section 37 | 0 M | ||
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From
37
to
87
|
576 M | 0.6 KM | |
| Head north on Vluchthavenpad | 576 M | ||
| You are now at section 87 | 0 M | ||
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From
87
to
20
|
1075 M | 1.1 KM | |
| Head north | 1.1 KM | ||
| You are now at section 20 | 0 M | ||
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From
20
to
70
|
1377 M | 1.4 KM | |
| Head east on Vliegtuigweg | 836 M | ||
| Turn right | 7 M | ||
| Turn left | 534 M | ||
| You are now at section 70 | 0 M | ||
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From
70
to
99
|
2359 M | 2.4 KM | |
| Head south on Sloefweg | 269 M | ||
| Make a slight right onto Kamperpad | 2.1 KM | ||
| You are now at section 99 | 0 M | ||
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From
99
to
65
|
3470 M | 3.5 KM | |
| Head northwest | 20 M | ||
| Turn left | 2.4 KM | ||
| Turn left | 1 KM | ||
| You are now at section 65 | 0 M | ||
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From
65
to
27
|
997 M | 1 KM | |
| Head northwest | 9 M | ||
| Turn right | 42 M | ||
| Turn right | 607 M | ||
| Continue onto Nagelerbrug | 9 M | ||
| Continue straight | 330 M | ||
| You are now at section 27 | 0 M | ||
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From
27
to
71
|
278 M | 0.3 KM | |
| Head north | 52 M | ||
| Turn right onto de Deel | 12 M | ||
| Make a slight left | 4 M | ||
| Continue onto Beursstraat | 192 M | ||
| Turn right | 18 M | ||
| You are now at section 71 | 0 M | ||
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From
71
to
67
|
604 M | 0.6 KM | |
| Head east | 33 M | ||
| Turn right onto Noordzijde | 571 M | ||
| You are now at section 67 | 0 M | ||
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From
67
to
40
|
1891 M | 1.9 KM | |
| Head northeast on Sportlaan | 5 M | ||
| Turn left to stay on Sportlaan | 49 M | ||
| Turn right onto Professor Thijsselaan | 114 M | ||
| Turn left onto Professor Granpré Molièrelaan; Prof. Granpré Molièrelaan | 21 M | ||
| Turn right to stay on Professor Granpré Molièrelaan | 84 M | ||
| Turn left onto Verhagenlaan | 57 M | ||
| Turn right | 102 M | ||
| Continue onto Minister Lelysingel | 401 M | ||
| Continue straight | 730 M | ||
| Turn right | 205 M | ||
| Turn left | 123 M | ||
| You are now at section 40 | 0 M | ||
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From
40
to
81
|
4256 M | 4.3 KM | |
| Head north | 9 M | ||
| Turn right | 558 M | ||
| Continue onto Muntweg | 9 M | ||
| Turn left to stay on Muntweg | 48 M | ||
| Turn right onto Muntweg | 203 M | ||
| Turn left onto Friesepad | 783 M | ||
| Turn right | 11 M | ||
| Continue straight | 1.3 KM | ||
| Turn left onto Casteleynsweg | 167 M | ||
| Turn right | 21 M | ||
| Continue straight | 12 M | ||
| Turn right | 386 M | ||
| Turn left | 764 M | ||
| You are now at section 81 | 0 M | ||
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From
81
to
25
|
2133 M | 2.1 KM | |
| Head west | 8 M | ||
| Turn right onto Friesepad | 2.1 KM | ||
| Turn left onto Oosterringweg (N715) | 10 M | ||
| Turn right onto Friesepad | 31 M | ||
| You are now at section 25 | 0 M | ||
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From
25
to
7
|
1596 M | 1.6 KM | |
| Head west on Oosterringweg | 711 M | ||
| Continue straight | 885 M | ||
| You are now at section 07 | 0 M |