The Wouda pumping station - Lemmer's steam pumping station for over 100 years

Do you always love it when you can see big industrial venues from the inside?

A visit to the Wouda pumping station in Lemmer will leave you filled with wonder, that's for sure. It is sensational to see up close how ingenious and extensive this extraordinary, technical invention was made. This new kind of energy revolutionised the industrial world: with steam!

That people - over 100 years ago - could have made this! Without a computer, AI and, most remarkably perhaps, it still works!

What makes the Wouda pumping station even more special is that this steam giant is built in an architecturally beautiful building.

From outside, the building is not even immediately noticeable, except for the huge chimney. Inside the building is the largest steam pumping station ever built - in 1920.

It was then, and still is, a masterpiece of engineering; technologically 'the most advanced steam pumping station in the world.

Function of the Wouda Steam Pumping Station

The Netherlands, and certainly Friesland, has been known for centuries for the way land has been reclaimed from the water, and how, with many mills and canal systems here, we have also managed to keep the land dry and inhabitable.

The construction of the Wouda Pumping Station took a giant leap forward thanks to the power of modern technology.

In one hour, the pumping station could pump dry an area of 1,000 hectares. At full capacity, 6 million m³ of water per day could be pumped to the sea! Until the closure of the Lauwerszee, the Wouda pumping station was vital for the Frisian hinterland. Since the Lauwersmeer was created, the direct threat from the sea has naturally become much less. Nevertheless, it still happened a few times that the pumping station had to be used during high water levels.

To keep the pumping station functional, it is operated at regular intervals. The sound of the pumps, the huge clouds of steam and the huge volumes of water being pumped out to sea is an unforgettable experience.

Visiting the Wouda pumping station

The Wouda Pumping Station is open to the public, for groups, but you are also welcome as an individual visitor. During the visit you can admire the special architecture. In films and VR images, you will get a picture of the development in water management past, present and future. The guided tour takes you into the main building where the large pumps are located and explains how the technology works.

So if you have a visit or holiday planned in the Lemmer region, put the Wouda pumping station on your list. The website of the Wouda pumping station provides all the information for visitors.

From LocalGroningen, we are exploring options for a real UNESCO trip, along the various UNESCO sites in the north. More news about this will return to this website.