Wieringermeer

Wieringermeer is a polder and former municipality in the Netherlands, located in the province of North Holland on the IJsselmeer coast. It was created by draining the Zuiderzee as part of the Zuiderzeewerken works in the early 20th century, and its land is kept below sea level by a system of dikes, canals, and pumping stations. The polder includes towns such as Wieringerwerf, Middenmeer, Anna Paulowna, Den Oever, Slootdorp, and Breezand.

In May 1940, during World War II, German forces flooded the area by opening the dikes, causing widespread inundation and the evacuation of residents. After the war, land reclamation resumed and the polder was gradually drained and repopulated in the following years.

Today the region forms part of the municipality of Hollands Kroon, created in 2012 from several former municipalities. The economy is primarily agricultural, with arable farming, dairy production, and bulb cultivation. The landscape is flat and open, traversed by straight canals and an extensive network of pumping stations that maintain the low-lying land.