Delta Works

The Delta works are the best and largest storm barriers in the world. There is a reason why the dams are nicknamed “the eighth wonder of the world”. They were designed after the floods of 1953 and offer protection to the land surrounding the Rhine-Meuse-Scheldt delta. With the Delta Works, the chances of another flood have been reduced to once every 4000 years.

Floods of 1953

The Delta Works were developed after the floods of 1953. 20 hours of north-westerly storm pushed the waters of the North Sea up to a height of 4.20 meters above Amsterdam Ordnance Datum (the normal water level). It was too much for the dikes of Zeeland to handle. Nearly two thousand people died and more than 150,000 hectares of land was flooded.

Visit the Delta Works

You can drive over the Delta Works, but you can also see the dams from the inside. The Haringvliet Expo and Deltapark Neeltje Jans can tell you more about the construction, past and future of this incredible storm barrier.