Volkerakdam, Compartmentation dam in Moerdijk and Goeree-Overflakkee, Netherlands
The Volkerakdam is a compartmentation dam in the Netherlands that spans the Volkerak strait between Goeree-Overflakkee and Noord-Brabant. It combines lock chambers, dikes, and a road that runs along the top, allowing vehicles to cross while water is managed below.
Work began in 1957 following the North Sea flood of 1953, which caused widespread destruction along the Dutch coast. The dam was built as part of a national plan to strengthen flood defenses across the most exposed parts of the country.
During excavations at the lock complex, workers found a wooden figure known as the Willemstad Man, showing that people lived in this area around the 5th millennium BC. That find turns a working dam into a site with deep roots in human settlement history.
The dam is easy to see from the roads that run alongside it, and walkways on the structure allow you to get a closer look. Clear days are the best time to come, as ship movements through the locks are easier to follow from above.
The dam was built using caisson techniques that were experimental at the time and had not been tested on this scale in the Netherlands before. The experience gained here directly shaped how engineers approached later parts of the Delta Works.
The community of curious travelers
AroundUs brings together thousands of curated places, local tips, and hidden gems, enriched daily by 60,000 contributors worldwide.
