stuwde
Stuwde is a Dutch term that historically refers to a type of small river lock or dam used in low‑lying regions of the Netherlands. The word derives from the verb “stuwen,” which means “to drive” or “to push” in Dutch, and was employed during the Middle Ages to describe mechanisms that controlled water flow in reclaimed land. In its earliest known usage, the term appears in the 14th‑century land‑record charters of the province of Gelderland, where stuwde structures were listed as essential for protecting polder gardens from flooding.
The typical stuwde consisted of a timber frame filled with stone or earth, forming a low sluice
By the 17th century, advances in hydraulic engineering and the construction of more robust dam systems reduced