On our second day in Flevoland we visited two former islands in the Ijseelmeer: Urk and Schokland. Both are now part of the new province. Urk still has its harbour, Schokland was already abandoned in 1859 and is now surrounded by meadows instead of rough sea.
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| Parking for the night @ Lelystad |
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| Urk museum |
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| Beach of Urk - for some reason empty in July |
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| Urk from the lighthouse |
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| Wind well used |
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| Put your hands in and push - but what happens inside? |
Schokland was an attractive settlement area in the Middle Ages when it was much larger, but by the 19th century it was under continuous threat of flooding due to the rise in sea level. By then the Schoklanders had retreated to the three most elevated parts: Emmeloord, Molenbuurt, and Middelbuurt. A major flood in 1825 brought massive destruction, and in 1859 the government decided to end permanent settlement on Schokland and the last inhabitants had to leave the island. Today Schokland is a popular archeological site and hosts the Schokland Museum where many of the artefacts found in the area are exhibited.
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| Church of Schokland |
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| Interesting museum @ Schokland |
We were fascinated that rocks found around Schokland originate from Scandinavia, transported to the south by glaciers.
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| Harbour of Schokland out of use |
For the night we found a caravan place at a farm, where we spent a cold but nice evening enjoying dinner outside for once.
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| Veggie and meat sausages sharing the griddle ;-) |
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| Family dinner! |
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| Flower of the Day |
