Leeghwater, Jan Adriaansz
Published: December 19, 2007, 4:20 pm
Updated: December 19, 2007, 4:20 pm
This article has been reviewed by the following Topic Editor:
Peter Saundry
Jan Adriaansz Leeghwater.
Jan Adriaansz Leeghwater (1575-1650), a Dutch hydraulic engineer and mastermind behind the land reclamation program along the flooded coast of the Netherlands. Leeghwater’s technique relied on heavy use of windmills to drain and pump water from the land. This involved the construction of polders—low-lying tracts of land that form an artificial hydrological entity—enclosed by embankments (dikes), and requiring drainage by pumps to maintain the water table from rising above the dikes. The land reclamation provided new fertile land, and large-scale industrial processing of the products, which, in combination with shipping, gave rise to an unprecedented period of prosperity in the region known as the Dutch Golden Age. With this new wealth, the art of painting flourished, and a new class of wealthy merchants commissioned architects to build fine houses.
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Citation
Cutler J. Cleveland (Lead Author);Peter Saundry (Topic Editor) "Leeghwater, Jan Adriaansz". In: Encyclopedia of Earth. Eds. Cutler J. Cleveland (Washington, D.C.: Environmental Information Coalition, National Council for Science and the Environment). [First published in the Encyclopedia of Earth December 19, 2007; Last revised Date December 19, 2007; Retrieved May 22, 2013 <http://www.eoearth.org/article/Leeghwater,_Jan_Adriaansz>
The Author
Cutler J. Cleveland is Professor of Earth and Environment at Boston University, where he also is on the faculty of the Center for Energy and Environmental Studies. Professor Cleveland is Editor-in-Chief of the Encyclopedia of Energy (Elsevier, 2004), winner of an American Library Association award, the Dictionary of Energy (Elsevier, 2005), Handbook of Energy (Elsevier, forthcoming), and is the Founding Editor-in-Chief of the Encyclopedia of Earth. He is the recipient of the Adelma ... (Full Bio)
Jan Adriaansz Leeghwater.
Jan Adriaansz Leeghwater (1575-1650), a Dutch hydraulic engineer and mastermind behind the land reclamation program along the flooded coast of the Netherlands. Leeghwater’s technique relied on heavy use of windmills to drain and pump water from the land. This involved the construction of polders—low-lying tracts of land that form an artificial hydrological entity—enclosed by embankments (dikes), and requiring drainage by pumps to maintain the water table from rising above the dikes. The land reclamation provided new fertile land, and large-scale industrial processing of the products, which, in combination with shipping, gave rise to an unprecedented period of prosperity in the region known as the Dutch Golden Age. With this new wealth, the art of painting flourished, and a new class of wealthy merchants commissioned architects to build fine houses.
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