This photo was taken on 14 August 1935 by my grandfather and shows the Afsluidijk, the huge dyke that isolated what was the Zuyder Zee from the sea. It was completed in 1932, and is over 32km long. The cyclists give an idea of the scale. The photo was taken looking southwest from the tower built at the point where the dyke was completed: on the right is the sea, and the water level is visibly lower on the left. At this time the inland lake formed by the dyke (the Ijsselmeer) was still salt, though it is now freshwater.


Download a Google Earth placemark showing the location of the tower.