Visiting Urk, The Historical Fishing Town In Noordoostpolder

The Breathtaking Urk

Urk is first mentioned in historical records dating to the 10th century, when it was still an island in the Almere, a lake that would become part of the Zuiderzee in the 13th century after a series of incursions by the North Sea.

A must-see fishing town

In 1939, a dike from the mainland to Urk ended the town's island status, just as the Afsluitdijk project was changing the salt water Zuiderzee surrounding Urk to the less saline IJsselmeer.

With my family

Later in the 20th century, seabed areas surrounding Urk were reclaimed from the sea and became the Noordoostpolder.
The mainstay of the town's economy has always been fishing, and the products of the sea coming in through Urk's harbour continue to be exported widely, although today Urk's fishing boats must travel greater distances to gather them than was required in most historical periods.

Me and my son

The lighthouse

Picture perfect

During our vacation in Flevoland, I was able to see this extraordinary place. From the vacation house, we traveled about thirty minutes to reach Urk. Those beautiful windmills that I see on our way going to the vacation house, as well as when we are traveling, going to our assembly hall, I captured up close. I do not know that there is a lighthouse there. Standing on the top of the hill, beside the lighthouse, the view was spectacular, overlooking the vast sea, windmills that look like dancing flamingos. I feel happy to be back and share some of the photos I made in Urk.