The ?sselmeer or Lake ?ssel is a shallow lake of 1100 km² in the central Netherlands created in 1932 when an inland sea, the Zuiderzee, was closed by a 32 km dam, the Afsluitdijk. The ?sselmeer is the largest lake in Western Europe. In 1975 the ?sselmeer was further split in two by the completion of the Houtribdijk, now also called Markerwaarddijk, which runs from Enkhuizen southeast to Lelystad. This former southern part of the ?sselmeer is now the hydrologically separate Markermeer.
Founded in 1357, Hoorn become a major harbour town. During Holland's 'Golden Century', Hoorn was an important home base for the Dutch East India Company. In 1616, the explorer Willem Corneliszoon Schouten bravedstorms as he rounded the southernmost tip of America. He named it Kaap ...
The lighthouse on the Peninsula of Marken on the IJsselmeer. The present lighthouse was built in 1839 and was declared a national monument in 1970. When on a sailing trip at the IJsselmeer, Marken is definitely worth a stop.
Marken is a peninsula alongside the picturesque Markermeer, the South part of the Ijsselmeer, Marken is well-known for its characteristic wooden houses. Former island, which nowadays is connected to the North Holland mainland by a causeway. A really nice place to visit