Inlaatsluis, In Bergsche Maasdijk tussen Nederhemert-Zuid en Bern

English translation

The text above is the record as published by the Rijksdienst voor het Cultureel Erfgoed, in Dutch. The English below is a machine translation made by TreeAlive, not by the Rijksdienst voor het Cultureel Erfgoed; it has not been checked by a person. Where the two differ, the original is the record. Report a translation error: privacy@treealive.com

Description

Introduction

The CULVERT LOCK in the Bergse Maasdijk halfway between Nederhemert-Zuid and Bern, was built in 1893 and is known as the oldest reinforced concrete culvert in the Netherlands. With this earliest application of reinforced concrete only the culvert itself was executed in concrete, for the fronts brick masonry was still used.

Until 1861 flooding regularly occurred in the Rivierengebied region due to dike breaches. The pumping stations and locks in this area testify to the struggle against water. The function of the lock in the Bergse Maasdijk was twofold. It served as a relief lock to discharge water in the event of flooding of the winter bed and as an inlet lock for winter irrigation. This dual function can be read from the structure by the two pairs of doors which can move in opposite directions. The water was brought from the Maas via polder ditches, which are still present. The structure has been well preserved, although the lock doors have disappeared on the north side.

Description

The CULVERT LOCK consists of a culvert executed in reinforced concrete, between mortared lock heads on either side of the dike. On both the land side and the waterside polder ditches are present.

The culvert through the dike body has in cross-section the form of a semi-ellipse and is 20 metres long, 3 metres high and more than 3 metres wide. The lock heads consist of front walls, wing walls and return walls mortared in brick in cross bond. The walls are capped on the upper side with sandstone slabs. In the wing walls on both sides, there are recesses in the masonry for sluice beams, so-called sluice beam mortises. On the wing walls there are also iron hooks for fastening the doors.

Both lock heads had pointed gates opening outwards. These ebb gates (land side) and flood gates (river side) were made of wood and clad with iron. The ebb gates are no longer present.

Valuation

Concrete CULVERT LOCK from 1893 in the dike between Nederhemert-Zuid and Bern

- Of architectural-historical value as a good typological example of a culvert lock serving both the relief and inlet of water, from the end of the nineteenth century. The lock stands out due to the well-preserved head form and detailing. The culvert is an early example of the application of reinforced concrete for locks, which started at the end of the nineteenth century and is as such important for the history of building technology.

- Of urban-planning value as a characteristic component of the Gelderse Rivierengebied, in this case the polder landscape at Nederhemert-Zuid. The location of the lock in the Bergse Maasdijk is connected with water engineering developments in the area and the lock has significance for the landscape through its head form.

- Of cultural-historical value due to the purpose of the structure which is connected with the water engineering development of the Netherlands, the struggle against water which is characteristic of the rivierengebied region where river breaches frequently occurred until 1861. The lock is also connected with a technical development due to the early example of the application of concrete.