Binnenbandijk consists of three elements. 'Binnen' is related to 'inside', 'inner' and 'within'; 'ban' has to do with 'to ban' and 'to abandon'; 'dijk' is 'dike', 'dyke' or 'levee' although in Flemish Dutch it can also mean 'promenade'.
A 'binnenbandijk' is mostly a dyke along (the forelands/foreshores of) a river, in this case the estuarium of the Oosterscheldt.
The location where these pictures were taken is indicated by the red dot on the old map above. On this spot we find a sculpture by Auke van der Heide and Jan Wessendorp, artists who regularly work together in the public domain.
Both artists were invited by District Water Board 'Brabantse Delta' to create a work of art at the occasion of the completion of a project that was aimed to double the capacity of the waste water main between Bergen op Zoom and neighbouring town Roosendaal. Their theme: "The present realizes the impulses of the past. The future realizes the impulses of this moment."
The sculpture was unveiled in 2009. It's name, The past's bucket is today's conduit , refers to safety and hygiene. The bucket also represents the personal responsibility.
Especially when the sun is shining the reflections of the metal buckets provide a fascinating spectacle of light. The clattering of the handles, moved by the wind, which is almost always active in this area, makes sure no passer-by will miss this cultural beacon.
The dates on the buckets are a reminder of the years which were important in the eternal struggle against the water. As the old map above shows, many villages in this area disappeared during floods and storms, such as Agger, Brouck, Creek, Everswardt and Inkeloirt as well as the town of Reimerswaal. Where once were fertile fields, important for the economy of Bergen op Zoom, is now the stretch of water called Oosterscheldt.
Water has however also been an ally many times, of which the successive harbours of Bergen op Zoom are the main witnesses.
All photos: © Albert Hagenaars
www.alberthagenaars.nl
For more information: see Kidor (text only in Dutch).
