Zuiderzeezicht was opened on Friday afternoon 4 September along the N331 near the Tolhuis. Bert Boerman, a member of the Provincial Executive and City Councillor Arie Speksnijder, undertook the festive opening of the look-out point and resting place for hikers and cyclists.
The look-out point was realised in the former Zuiderzeedijk and mainly consists of a staircase that leads to the crown of the sea dyke. On top of the dyke the dramatic panoramic view unfurls across the expanse of reeds, the outer lands, the former Zuiderzee, Bird Island and the North East polder. Ending up at a resting place which has ostensibly been designed as ‘folded over’ stony sheets. In the floor of the resting place two historical impressions have been engraved in the natural stone, which depict the story of the tumultuous history of the development of the area and the battle with the sea; a sea view of 1729 with the rough Zuiderzee of that time and a sea view of 1932 by Johan Hendrik van Mastenbroek depicting the closing of the (polder)dyke.
There is a poem carved out in the stairs by Heleen Bosma, Poet of Overijssel 2013/2014, which one can read while climbing the stairs:
KIJK – BIJ ELKE TREDE DAALT HET LAND EN STIJGT HET LICHT [LOOK - AT EACH STEP THE LAND DROPS AND THE LIGHT BRIGHTENS].
In 2013 MTD landschapsarchitecten was commissioned by the province of Overijssel for the development of a design for the resting place along the N331. The motivating factor was the redevelopment of the N331 between Zwartsluis and Vollenhove into a distributor road (80 km/h). For this redevelopment the agricultural traffic was relocated off the main carriageway together with the bicycle path, from the crown of the dyke to the parallel road at the base of the dyke. This expansive view across the Barsbekerbinnen polder, the Black Lake, the outer lands and Bird Island, which provided a distinguishing quality of the route in the old situation, is now far less perceptible.
The province's aim was to create a resting place along the new bicycle path, so that this quality can be re-established; a resting place where perception of the region as a former shore area and dyke of the Zuiderzee, focuses on an important bird pasture habitat and as a location for skippers, fishermen and merchant traders.
The project came about in close cooperation with the municipalities of Steenwijkerland and Zwartewaterland, the Reest and Wieden Water Board and Natuurmonumenten.
For the location of the resting place, which has been christened 'Zuiderzeezicht' in the meanwhile, the choice was made for a spot near the Tolhuis. Here, in an outer bend of the former Zuyder Sea dyke, the water from the outer lands and the Zwartemeer is close by and can be well perceived, and there's also a view of Bird Island and the North East polder.
The resting place is recognisable as a narrow stony staircase in the dyke embankment from the N331 roadway as well as from the slow traffic route that runs adjacent to the N331. The narrow staircase in the dyke embankment has an iconic significance. The actual resting place has been implemented above the dyke. This becomes visible in the wording ‘Zuiderzeezicht’, which is carved in the natural stone. When climbing the stairs, the words depicted in them announces the memories of the view of the former Zuyder Sea; the stones have been carved as such that they must be read from the bottom to the top of the stairs.
While sitting on the bench at the resting place, two carved historical pictures are portrayed in the natural stone; they depict the tumultuous history of the development of the region and the battle with the sea. This enhances the proximity of the water, but the intense history of the region in relation to the Sea is also perceptible.
The materialisation and detailing of Zuiderzeezicht is timeless, sturdy and pure, and makes reference to the shipping and other engineering structures along the coast.
MTD was responsible for the design, the supervision of the communications process, the implementation preparation and the management and aesthetic supervision during the implementation.
And it's already been determined; Overijssel has gained a rather special spot…!!!!
