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.
Are you absolutely sure you want to delete this article? This process cannot be undone and is permanent.
Cutler 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 24, 2012 <http://www.eoearth.org/article/Leeghwater,_Jan_Adriaansz>
The Author
Editor-in-Chief
The Encyclopedia of Earth Cutler J. Cleveland is the founding Editor-in-Chief of the Encyclopedia of Earth. Dr. Cleveland is currently a Professor in the Department of Geography and Environment at Boston University, with joint appointments in the Center for Energy and Environmental Studies and the Pardee Center for the Study of the Longer Range Future. He also is a Senior Fellow at the National Council for Science and the Environment in Washington D.C. Dr. Cleveland is als ... (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.
Are you absolutely sure you want to delete this article? This process cannot be undone and is permanent.
Jan Adriaansz Leeghwater.
Contact Us
Send to a Friend
Comments
There are no comments.