Guest Post by Elizabeth Thaden Stewart
One of the biggest obstacles presented to the Fresians living in
Dornum in the seventeenth century was the North Sea. Both friend and foe, the
North Sea presented many opportunities for the Fresians to prosper, but it also
proved to be a mighty force to be reckoned with. On the one hand, the North Sea
made seafaring possible, an opportunity that the Fresians took advantage of. In
fact, the Fresians were the chief seafarers of the day before the Vikings began
using the seas. The North Sea also made the land quite fertile for farming and
raising livestock. However, living on the water’s edge also brought plenty of
trouble. Over the years, the North Sea crept above the land due to the melting
ice from the north and south poles. This combined with the gradual sinking of
the earth draws a pretty clear picture of the problem the Fresians were
presented with. The North Sea was overtaking their land. It was necessary for
them to claim it back to preserve their lives.
Conquering the sea and recovering their land was no easy feat.
The Fresians had to build mounds on which they could construct their homes and
other buildings to keep them safe from the rising waters. They also constructed
dikes, which are long barriers that prevent flooding. The Fresians also turned
to the windmill (pun intended J), which they used to
pump water out of the lowlands back into the sea. The historic Blockwindmühle,
constructed in 1626, still stands today as a fully functioning mill. (It was
restored in 2010.)
With the waters of the sea better managed through the
construction of mounds, dikes, and windmills, the Fresians were able to retain
their lifestyle of farming, trading, and breeding horses.
http://www.everyculture.com/Ma-Ni/The-Netherlands.html
