In Monnickendam, in the province of North Holland, the previously separate marinas of Waterland and Hemmeland have been merged into a single site. The new Waterland Marina is set to offer around 650 berths and is due to open officially this Friday, 28 August.
Following several years of planning and construction, the merger of the two harbours has been completed. Several hundred boats were relocated last winter to make way for this. This created space for a new jetty system featuring floating jetties from Sweden.
The infrastructure of the expanded marina also includes a natural-looking breakwater, a new shipyard site with a boat lift, and a multi-purpose harbour building. The complex is complemented by a new service hall for maintenance and repair work.
This gives the site added significance for the municipality of Waterland: in future, the harbour is set to become the nautical centre of the Gouwhaven development project. Around 700 flats are planned there. The neighbourhood is situated between the historic old town of Monnickendam, the Hemmeland recreational area and the Gouwzee.
The Gouwzee is a bay to the west of the Markermeer. The offshore island of Marken, with its dyke, almost completely separates the bay from the larger body of water. The conversion of the Zuiderzee into the IJsselmeer had originally also envisaged the reclamation of the Gouwzee. However, these plans – which would also have affected the neighbouring port towns of Volendam and Hoorn – were ultimately rejected.

Editor Travel