A city by the water
Water is by far the most important liquid for us humans; without water, we’re nowhere. But water can also be an enemy, and sometimes a very formidable one. Harderwijk knows a thing or two about that too. Because, whilst a town by the water is very practical for fishermen and tourists, it can also be quite dangerous when storms hit, especially when they’re really severe. You know what I’m getting at: floods. We’ve had them, including in Harderwijk. Fortunately, it’s been quite a while since things went wrong – 99 years, to be precise. In January 1916, areas around the Zuiderzee were ravaged by a veritable deluge, including Harderwijk. Back then, our town and the surrounding area were also under water, in places as deep as a metre.
The Harderwijk sea bear
What do you do when you’re regularly threatened by water? You defend yourself. And that’s exactly what I want to talk about. Because, next to Plantagepark, on the west side of the city centre, near the Wolderwijd, there’s a strange wall. Actually, it’s not really a wall, barely a metre high; it looks like a long, truncated pyramid running parallel to the city wall. That wall has a special name: Zeebeer. With a name like that, you’re more likely to think of some sort of aquatic creature than a structure, but that wall is indeed called Zeebeer. Its function will be clear by now: the Zeebeer was intended to protect the city from the fierce waves of the Zuiderzee during periods of very high water. And that happened often. For that reason alone, it’s worth going to see what the Zeebeer looks like now.
Why not give a sea bear a try?
By the way, the Ouderwetse Bakkerij on Kleine Marktstraat also sells sea bears, but whilst these bears are shaped like that odd wall, they’re actually a cross between bread, cake and biscuit. Absolutely delicious!
About Liek Mulder
During his working life, Liek Mulder was a history teacher at CC Nassau-Veluwe. He has written several history books. He is also a board member of the Harderwijk City Museum and chair of the Platform Historisch Harderwijk. He is a great enthusiast of Zeeberen.
