Poldertoren
Encyclopedia
The Poldertoren is a water tower
at the town center of Emmeloord
, the Netherlands. The Dutch
name Poldertoren could be translated as Polder
Tower
. The 65-meter tower was built in 1959 and has a large carillon
. The tower is no longer in use as a water tower. The owner of the tower was the water company, Vitens, but since 2005 the municipality of Noordoostpolder
has owned the tower.
A replica of this watertower exists in Japan.
is located at 70.5 meter. Visitors can climb the 243 stair steps, up to a height of 43.4 meter. The Poldertoren has a 13.4 meter diameter. The water storage capacity is 1.850 m3. Building materials for the tower included 1,220 m3 of concrete, 185 metric tons of steel, 600,000 bricks, 624 metric tons of cement and 7,200 drainpipes.
The idea to build a tower originates in the need of a water tower in the Noordoostpolder. The water company of Overijssel
decided to offer a prize for the best design of a new water tower in December 1950. The tower had to include a carillon and a visitor platform. The tower had to symbolize unity of the new Noordoostpolder and it had to emphasize Emmeloord as the central town. The design Utillis of the Amsterdam
architect H. van Gent was chosen. J.W.H.C. Pot helped him to develop the detailed design.
in the new tower. The result of a fundraising campaign among the Noordoostpolder population was a ring of 48 bells. Every village offered its own bell. The heaviest bell is 2382 kilogram, the lightest weighs 9.9 kilogram.
All bells have inscriptions:
Water tower
A water tower or elevated water tower is a large elevated drinking water storage container constructed to hold a water supply at a height sufficient to pressurize a water distribution system....
at the town center of Emmeloord
Emmeloord
Emmeloord is the administrative center of the municipality of Noordoostpolder, Flevoland, Netherlands.At the heart of the Noordoostpolder, where the three main drainage canals intersect, is the city of Emmeloord . Emmeloord is in a polder: land reclaimed from the IJsselmeer, which earlier was part...
, the Netherlands. The Dutch
Dutch language
Dutch is a West Germanic language and the native language of the majority of the population of the Netherlands, Belgium, and Suriname, the three member states of the Dutch Language Union. Most speakers live in the European Union, where it is a first language for about 23 million and a second...
name Poldertoren could be translated as Polder
Polder
A polder is a low-lying tract of land enclosed by embankments known as dikes, that forms an artificial hydrological entity, meaning it has no connection with outside water other than through manually-operated devices...
Tower
Tower
A tower is a tall structure, usually taller than it is wide, often by a significant margin. Towers are distinguished from masts by their lack of guy-wires....
. The 65-meter tower was built in 1959 and has a large carillon
Carillon
A carillon is a musical instrument that is typically housed in a free-standing bell tower, or the belfry of a church or other municipal building. The instrument consists of at least 23 cast bronze, cup-shaped bells, which are played serially to play a melody, or sounded together to play a chord...
. The tower is no longer in use as a water tower. The owner of the tower was the water company, Vitens, but since 2005 the municipality of Noordoostpolder
Noordoostpolder
Noordoostpolder is a municipality in the Flevoland province in the central Netherlands. Formerly, it was also called Urker Land. Emmeloord is the administrative center, located in the heart of the Noordoostpolder. The municipality has the largest land area in the Netherlands...
has owned the tower.
A replica of this watertower exists in Japan.
Details
The tower measures 65.3 meter in height and the weather vaneWeather vane
A weather vane is an instrument for showing the direction of the wind. They are typically used as an architectural ornament to the highest point of a building....
is located at 70.5 meter. Visitors can climb the 243 stair steps, up to a height of 43.4 meter. The Poldertoren has a 13.4 meter diameter. The water storage capacity is 1.850 m3. Building materials for the tower included 1,220 m3 of concrete, 185 metric tons of steel, 600,000 bricks, 624 metric tons of cement and 7,200 drainpipes.
Architects
- J.W.H.C. Pot (Architectenbureau Pot en Pot-Keegstra) (1955–1959)
- H. van Gent (1950–1959)
History
In an early design of Emmeloord it was decided to build a tower at the central square of the town. The tower in the heart of the Noordoostpolder symbolizes unity of the Noordoostpolder and can be seen from all locations in the Noordoostpolder. The tower is not related to any church, because churches could dominate the others with this tower.The idea to build a tower originates in the need of a water tower in the Noordoostpolder. The water company of Overijssel
Overijssel
Overijssel is a province of the Netherlands in the central eastern part of the country. The region has a NUTS classification of NL21. The province's name means "Lands across river IJssel". The capital city of Overijssel is Zwolle and the largest city is Enschede...
decided to offer a prize for the best design of a new water tower in December 1950. The tower had to include a carillon and a visitor platform. The tower had to symbolize unity of the new Noordoostpolder and it had to emphasize Emmeloord as the central town. The design Utillis of the Amsterdam
Amsterdam
Amsterdam is the largest city and the capital of the Netherlands. The current position of Amsterdam as capital city of the Kingdom of the Netherlands is governed by the constitution of August 24, 1815 and its successors. Amsterdam has a population of 783,364 within city limits, an urban population...
architect H. van Gent was chosen. J.W.H.C. Pot helped him to develop the detailed design.
The carillon
A.D. van Eck had dedicated himself to placing a carillonCarillon
A carillon is a musical instrument that is typically housed in a free-standing bell tower, or the belfry of a church or other municipal building. The instrument consists of at least 23 cast bronze, cup-shaped bells, which are played serially to play a melody, or sounded together to play a chord...
in the new tower. The result of a fundraising campaign among the Noordoostpolder population was a ring of 48 bells. Every village offered its own bell. The heaviest bell is 2382 kilogram, the lightest weighs 9.9 kilogram.
All bells have inscriptions:
- Juliana Regina (Juliana of the NetherlandsJuliana of the NetherlandsJuliana was the Queen regnant of the Kingdom of the Netherlands between 1948 and 1980. She was the only child of Queen Wilhelmina and Prince Henry...
) (the heaviest bell) - LelyCornelis LelyCornelis Lely was a Dutch civil engineer and statesman. He first designed and then realised by a law the Zuiderzee Works, a major project that turned the Zuiderzee into a lake, and converting a huge area into dry land.-Career outline:From 1886 to 1891, Lely led the technical research team that...
;Fait ce que dois, advienne que pourra - A.D. van Eck, bouwmeester NOP; Facta non Verba
- De Arbeid; Ora et Labora
- De Vrede; Post Secundum Anno Tertio Decimo
- Concordia Res Parvae Crescunt
- Ratio Omnia Vincit