Jan Leeghwater

Jan Adriaanszoon Leeghwater (1575, De Rijp, Netherlands - 1650) was a Dutch mill builder and hydraulic engineer.

Biography

Leeghwater, as a hydraulic engineer, was pivotal to land reclamation programs along the flooded coast of the Netherlands [Leeghwater, Jan Adriaansz article, Encyclopedia of Earth, retrieved 2008-03-10] . He was involved in the reclamation of the Beemster polder, the first polder in the world created from a lake by draining the water using wind mills. The reclamation of the Beemster was started in 1607 and Leeghwater supervised the milling. Between 1607 and 1635, the polders Purmer, Schermer and Heerhugowaard were also created under his supervision.

Leeghwater was among the first to advocate reclamation of the Haarlemmermeer, a lake whose growth presented a danger to the surrounding towns (several villages were swallowed and even Amsterdam and Leiden were eventually threatened). When this was finally accomplished in 1852, one of the three large pumping installations was named after him. This installation, the Leeghwater-gemaal, is still in use today.

Leeghwater was born as Jan Adriaanszoon. Only later did he adopt the name Leeghwater, from "laag water" or "low water". It is not clear exactly how the prevalent spelling of Leeghwater's name came about. Leeghwater himself spelt his name alternatively as Leegwater, Leegh-water, Leeghwater and Leechwater. Official documents of the time also mention Laechwater and Laachwater.

External links

* [http://www.rabbel.info/nordstrand.html#eyewitness Leeghwater's eye witness account] of the 1634 Nordstrand Burchardi flood.

References