Afsluitdijk
Ofslútdyk

Afsluitdijk is the biggest dam in the Netherlands at 32 km long! The dam has two museums, a watchtower, and nighttime art. A must-visit for a road trip.

First built in the 1920s, Afsluitdijk is the biggest dam in the country. The road is 32 km (20 miles) long and links together the Dutch provinces of North Holland and Friesland. Afsluitdijk is one road many travel through when they take a trip around the Netherlands. But here’s some things you might not know…

Nighttime Drive

Drive through Gates of Light on the motorway. The 60 floodgates of Afsluitdijk light up in the dark. But these are no ordinary lights. The Gates of Light only appear if there are cars on the road. The gates reflect the light from the cars. It’s a sustainable art exhibit!

Afsluitdijk Wadden Center

Take a break on your road trip at the free to visit museum of the Afsluitdijk Wadden Center. There’s a small self service cafe here too making it a perfect place to stop and enjoy the view of the waters in the day.

You only need about an hour to see everything in this museum. The Afsluitdijk Wadden Center has an exhibit on the history of flooding and the Wadden Sea. Get to know a little more about the local history, then make your way up to the rooftop for some nice views. Entry to the exhibit is 5€ for adults and 3€ for kids, but free for kids under the age of 4. It’s a nice little museum to visit while you’re here, but we wouldn’t say it’s a must-see.

Casemates Museum

Located just a quick walk from the Afsluitdijk Wadden Center is the second museum along the dam. The Casemates Museum (“Kazemattenmuseum”) is famous for being the only place where the Blitzkrieg of 1940 were stopped. Only a few hundred Dutch troops fought against thousands of German soldiers.

Inside the museum you’ll find tons of information on the Battle of Afsluitdijk and the construction of the dam. Most of the info panels are in Dutch, so you might have a difficult time understanding some of the information here, but since the museum is free and an important local history site we think it’s worth a look!

The Watchtower

From the Vlieter Monument (“Monument op de Afsluitdijk”), you can get even better views of the Afsluitdijk dam and the North Sea. There’s a small cafe and a few statues around here too, but the view is really what you’re coming here for. The Vlieter Monument is close to the North Holland side of the dam, near Den Oever.

The Afsluitdijk

The dam and road are convenient, but now you know there’s more to this place than just that. The Afsluitdijk was a massive building project for a total of 5 years. Thousands of workers were involved in the construction during the Great Depression. To build it, they took clay from the Zuider Zee which no longer exists. As you drive down the Afsluitdijk, you’ll have views of the North Sea.