’s Lands zanderijen te Naarden (1675-1834)

‘Millions of barrows of sand were hauled off from Naarden to be used as shipping ballast’

Henk Schaftenaar's thesis is about the sand excavations of the elevated, relief-rich landscape around the fortress town of Naarden between 1675 and 1834. It was quarried on the initiative of the States of Holland. The land was cleared to flood it in case of a threat of war, which would benefit Holland's defence. As this idea was conceived at a time with little knowledge of hydrographic conditions, it was not possible to determine the level accurately. Only by trial and error it could be assessed whether the land was low enough for inundation.This study includes a reconstruction of an old, partly vanished landscape. It shows how sand extraction took place under the influence of various, sometimes conflicting interests and under constantly changing conditions. Around Naarden, a difficult to traverse, clear field of fire was created that was also used agriculturally, but not an inundatable plain. The study also deals with different types of sand: what were they used for, how and where were they traded and how did were sand excavation projects carried out? For instance, sand from Naarden proved too expensive to raise building plots in Amsterdam and was used as ballast for shipping.This research combines knowledge from several disciplines. It is relevant to sandy soils elsewhere and the use of different types of sand. Knowledge about inundation tests and hydrographic conditions is also relevant outside the region. 

Title: ’s Lands zanderijen te Naarden (1675-1834). Een historisch-geografisch onderzoek naar een episode waarin een hooggelegen, heuvelachtig voorterrein van een vesting moest worden omgevormd in een inundeerbare vlakte. Henk Schaftenaar.

Dissertation: https://hdl.handle.net/11370/a92d58db-bcf3-4cd6-b3b3-28f159232494