Hagestein dam complex
Location
The 1950s are dominated by reconstruction in the Netherlands. After World War II, many cities and villages are in ruins and the infrastructure has to be rebuilt. Bridges and roads are repaired and expanded. Waterways and water management also receive a lot of attention. For instance, Rijkswaterstaat is working on the Rhine Canalisation project. This project must keep the rivers more navigable and control water management (to combat salinisation, for instance).
As part of the Rhine Canalisation, Rijkswaterstaat is building three virtually ...
The 1950s are dominated by reconstruction in the Netherlands. After World War II, many cities and villages are in ruins and the infrastructure has to be rebuilt. Bridges and roads are repaired and expanded. Waterways and water management also receive a lot of attention. For instance, Rijkswaterstaat is working on the Rhine Canalisation project. This project must keep the rivers more navigable and control water management (to combat salinisation, for instance).
As part of the Rhine Canalisation, Rijkswaterstaat is building three almost identical dam complexes on the Lek at Hagestein, Amerongen and Driel, which together can control a large part of the Netherlands' water management. The design of the complexes is highly innovative. In 1958, the weir at Hagestein was the first to be completed. The visor gates are striking: two arched steel structures that can be opened and closed, allowing the flow of the river to be regulated. The Hagestein weir is designated a protected national monument.
To prevent nature from suffering too much from the weir, a fish passage was built in 2004. Fish migrating up the river from the sea to spawn can use special steps to jump through the lock. The fish can be easily observed from a nearby car park.
Read also Dorpskern Hagestein, Sluizencomplex Jan Blankenweg, Grafmonument Jan Blanken, Watertoren, Fort Everdingen and Lekbrug.