The great transformation of the dune ridge landscape:How water management, peat extraction and sand excavation led to agricultural innovation in the dune region between Haarlem and Leiden, 1400-1650
| Autor: | van Dam, Petra J.E.M., Weeda, C., Stein, R., Sicking, L. |
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| Přispěvatelé: | Weeda, C., Stein, R., Sicking, L., Art and Culture, History, Antiquity, CLUE+, Amsterdam Sustainability Institute |
| Jazyk: | angličtina |
| Rok vydání: | 2022 |
| Předmět: | |
| Zdroj: | van Dam, P J E M 2022, The great transformation of the dune ridge landscape : How water management, peat extraction and sand excavation led to agricultural innovation in the dune region between Haarlem and Leiden, 1400-1650 . in C Weeda, R Stein & L Sicking (eds), Communities, environment and regulation in the premodern world : Essays in honour of Peter Hoppenbrouwers . CORN, vol. 20, Brepols, Turnhout, pp. 177-200 . https://doi.org/10.1484/M.CORN-EB.5.129378 Communities, environment and regulation in the premodern world: Essays in honour of Peter Hoppenbrouwers, 177-200 STARTPAGE=177;ENDPAGE=200;TITLE=Communities, environment and regulation in the premodern world |
| DOI: | 10.1484/M.CORN-EB.5.129378 |
| Popis: | In the transition from the Middle Ages to the Early Modern period, the dune ridge landscape between Haarlem and Leiden was thoroughly rebuilt and reorganized. In order to drain the peaty beach plains and sandy dune ridges, an extensive drainage system of large and small waterways was constructed. Thanks to the improved drainage system, commercial peat cutting took place on the beach plain from the mid-fifteenth century, but the supply was exhausted in the course of the sixteenth century. The activities were led by distinguished entrepreneurs from the cities of Haarlem and Leiden. Sand was excavated, often commercially, from at least the late fifteenth century. The dune ridges were excavated and levelled, and the flattened land was given a new purpose. Although sand excavation and the founding of country estates were often combined in a single project, sand excavation could also be a considerable industry in and of itself. The sand was used for improving the soils, as ballast for ships, and possibly also for elevating low-lying, marshy grounds in towns. The reclamation and extraction of peat in the beach plains and sand on the dune ridges sparked a centuries-long, irreversible cycle of constant adjustments to the drainage system, followed by better drainage, further digging, yet more flooding, and further adjustments to the drainage system, finally resulting in the transition to pumping out surface water on a permanent basis (with wind mills). After the peat and sand had been extracted, the ground was levelled, and the soil was worked and enriched with local nutrient-rich layers of soil and manure, known as toemaken. The soil conversion must have played a major role in the transformation of the dune ridge area for new modes of production, in particular for the flax industry from c. 1500 and the modernization of horticulture after 1600. |
| Databáze: | OpenAIRE |
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