De Cruquius pumping station stands victorious next to the former Haarlemmermeer

In the 'Used Stones' programme, NH visits special industrial heritage with its own story. This week in the spotlight: De Cruquius and Lynden pumping stations, who are partly responsible for the existence of Haarlemmermeer. Because where there used to be water, there is now land thanks to these pumping stations.

View of the Cruquius steam pumping station

From water to land

'Haarlemmermeer': the first association you have with it is the area where Hoofddorp and Nieuw-Vennep are located. Only when you take in the name do you realize that it refers to a time when much of the area was actually a pool of water. The most visible reminder of that enormous reclamation are the pumping stations that pumped away all that water. Monuments of ingenuity and technology that tell the history of the region.

Built for eternity

De Cruquius pumping station is an imposing structure. Among the current buildings it is clearly a remnant from a previous time. It was close to being demolished. Fortunately, the Royal Institute of Engineers took care of it and turned it into a museum. They were pioneers in that way of thinking, but the 'repurposing' of industrial buildings that are no longer used for their original function is no longer an exception nowadays. One of the two other pumping stations that drained the Haarlemmermeer is the Lynden pumping station. Its new user is a restaurant.

Conserve or repurpose

Repurposing is not always entirely possible. For example, a large part of the Lynden pumping station consists of the engine room. It is still almost entirely in its original condition. That limits the possibilities. "Whatever you do, parts have to be removed and that is quite a shame for the character of this building," says Sylvia Pijnenborg. She is director of the BOEi Foundation, which specializes in repurposing cultural heritage. For the time being it will remain in its original state. "It's a building for the machines, rather than for the people."

More monuments

Haarlemmermeer has more monuments. The Old Nursery from Rijsenhout, the drawbridge in Vijfhuizerbrug, the former control tower of Schiphol, are also shown.

Are you specifically interested in the history of Haarlemmermeer? Then don't miss episode 5. It will be broadcast on Thursday, April 4, and it will focus on the remains of the disappeared Haarlemmermeer railway lines and the former CSM Sugar Factory in Halfweg.

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