World Heritage Identification Number: 867
World Heritage since: 1998
Category: Cultural Heritage
Transboundary Heritage: No
Endangered Heritage: No
Country: 🇳🇱 Netherlands (Kingdom of the)
Continent: Europe
UNESCO World Region: Europe and North America
Map
The Ir.D.F. Woudagemaal: A Testament to Dutch Engineering and Resilience
The Ir.D.F. Woudagemaal, officially known as the D.F. Wouda Steam Pumping Station, stands as a remarkable testament to Dutch engineering and resilience. Situated in the picturesque town of Lemmer in the province of Friesland, this colossal structure has been operational since its inauguration in 1920, making it the largest still functioning steam-powered pumping station worldwide.
More to come…UNESCO Description of the World Heritage Site
The Wouda Pumping Station at Lemmer in the province of Friesland opened in 1920. It is the largest steam-pumping station ever built and is still in operation. It represents the high point of the contribution made by Netherlands engineers and architects in protecting their people and land against the natural forces of water.
UNESCO Justification of the World Heritage Site
Criterion (i): The advent of steam as a source of energy provided the Dutch engineers with a powerful tool in their millennial task of water management, and the Wouda installation is the largest of its type ever built.
Criterion (ii): The Wouda Pumping Station represents the apogee of Dutch hydraulic engineering, which has provided the models and set the standards for the whole world for centuries.
Criterion (iv): The Wouda pumping installations bear exceptional witness to the power of steam in controlling the forces of nature, especially as applied to water handling by Dutch engineers.
Encyclopedia Record: Wouda pumping station
The ir. D.F. Wouda Steam Pumping Station is a pumping station in the Netherlands, and the largest still operational steam-powered pumping station in the world. On 7 October 1920 Queen Wilhelmina opened the pumping station. It was built to pump excess water out of Friesland, a province in the north of the Netherlands. In 1967, the coal furnaces were converted to run on heavy fuel oil.Additional Site Details
Area: 7.32 hectares
(ii) — Significant interchange of human values
(iv) — Outstanding example of a type of building or landscape
Coordinates: 52.84583 , 5.67889
Image
© Uberprutser, CC BY-SA 3.0 nl Resized from original. (This derivative is under the same CC BY-SA license.)
