See-through panel Rotterdamse Hoek

See-through panels are corten steel frames with a transparent plate. On that plate, a drawing visualises an object/activity that is not (or no longer) visible in the landscape. Through the correct perspective of the drawing and the correct positioning of the frame, the drawing is as it were projected into the current landscape. In this way, a special event or a former structure that stood at a specific location can come back to life for a while. Via the vista panels, we make the special history and unique story of Northeast Polder more visible.

The Rotterdamse Hoek vista panel stands on the Noordermeerdijk in Creil, which is accessible by car up to and including Zuidermeerpad; the dike itself is only accessible to cyclists and pedestrians. The Rotterdam Corner gets its name from the supply of debris from the German bombing of Rotterdam on 14 May 1940.

The debris from that bombardment was immediately transported by ship, including to the Noordoostpolder. There, the rubble was used to finish the 5.5 kilometres of dike above Urk and also to pave the polder roads. Even after liberation, many polder roads were paved with the Rotterdam rubble. The name ‘Rotterdamse Hoek’ was coined by the polder workers themselves. This so that no one would ever forget where the rubble came from.

The vista panel shows the construction of a farm, something that could be done safely after the dike was finished with the Rotterdam rubble and the polder was dry. The panel is right next to a 7.5-metre-high square brick lighthouse, built in 1950 and still serving as a beacon.