Netherlands Guide
The south and Zeeland
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The Delta Expo
Opening time: April– Oct daily 10am–5.30pm; Nov– March Wed– Sun 10am–5pm
Price: Summer €16; winter €10.50
Website: www.neeltjejans.nl
It's on the Stormvloedkering, completed in 1986, that the fascinating Delta Expo, signposted as Waterland Neeltje Jans, is housed. Only once you're inside the Expo, though, do you get an idea of the scale of the project. It's best to start with the half-hour video presentation before taking in the exhibition, which is divided into three areas: the historical background of the Netherlands' water management problems; the technological developments that enabled the country to protect itself; the environmental consequences of applying the technologies and the solutions that followed. The Surge Barrier (and the Delta Project as a whole) has been a triumphant success: computer simulations predict most high tides, but if an unpredicted rise does occur, the sluice gates close automatically in a matter of minutes.
Transport to the Delta Expo is easy: from Middelburg take bus #133 (twice hourly in summer) from Langevieleweg on the west side of town, or you can easily cycle there (it takes 1hr 30min), following national cycleway LF16 (noord), alongside open beaches and dunes, past wind turbines and onto the storm barrier itself; there are ample opportunities to peer into the sluice gates and appreciate the full scale of the project. Allow for blustery winds on the way back. From Rotterdam, take the metro to Zuidplein and then bus #133; tell the driver you want the Waterland stop.