Shipwrecks in Almere

Take a journey through the history of the Zuiderzee with a visit to one of the 27 explored shipwrecks in Almere. On this page you can read how these wrecks ended up in Almere (or rather the other way around).

The raging Zuiderzee

The shipwrecks found in and near Almere come from a time when the city and the rest of Flevoland did not yet exist. The wrecks that now lie on dry land were first under the waters of the Zuiderzee for up to hundreds of years. Since the Late Middle Ages, the sea was like the Albert Heijn supermarket at dinner time: busy! Transport, trade and fishing: the inland sea was bustling. It was a fisherman's paradise, because almost nowhere else in the world could you find water rich in fish. Unfortunately, sailing across the Zuiderzee was sometimes quite an adventure. Shallow stretches, sandbars, channels that slowly filled with silt and violent storms created dangerous situations. Archaeologists suspect that some three to four thousand ships ended up on the bottom here in seven hundred years.

Shipwrecks in Flevoland

Before the docking of Flevoland, the ground was drained and these boats saw daylight again for the first time in a long time. Since then, more than 450 of these wrecks have been found and examined. Flevoland is therefore not called "the largest land-based ship graveyard in the world" for nothing. Ship archaeologists feel like a kid in a sweet shop here, because these wrecks tell us a lot about the past. The wrecks show what kind of boats people used to sail and what they carried on board. The archaeologists link these finds to information from the past and thus discover the story behind the disaster. What caused the ship to sink? Who were on board and what were they carrying?

Tip: Do you see a blue and white striped pole with a red ship on it somewhere? Then you are at the site of a shipwreck.

Shipwrecks in Almere

In Almere, there are 27 investigated shipwrecks in the soil. The oldest comes from the 15th century, i.e. the Late Middle Ages. Of the collection, the shipwreck that sank last comes from the early 20th century. For ship connoisseurs: among other things, a 17th-century Amsterdam mud scow, various types of cargo ships and a kogge have been found. Find an overview of the finds here. There are probably many more wrecks on the bottom. You don't see the wrecks that have been found and studied above ground, because they need to be protected for the future. And what better way to do that than by leaving them on the ground where they have been preserved for hundreds of years?

Walking past shipwrecks in Almere Pampushout-Zuid

Walk past three of Almere's shipwrecks in Pampushout-Zuid, Almere Poort. The signposted route runs for 3.5 kilometres through woods and past the wrecks. The wrecks were found when a plough pulled deep through the soil in 1983. One of the boats was a cargo ship from the 15th century and can be seen as a mound in the landscape.

Shipwrecks in the Municipality of Almere

ZA-32
In 1986, vessel remains were found during sewerage works in neighbourhood 13 in Almere Stad (Cypergrasstraat/Dadelklaverstraat). In April of the same year, the vessel was excavated. Based on its construction and hull shape, the vessel can be recognised as a medieval bullet ship. The dating of the objects from the inventory found indicate that the vessel perished in the 15th century. A number of objects were found in the wreck, including a number of coins and a leper flask.

ZA-87
A ship and parts of a wooden church roof structure were found on this lot in 1983. The ship is a small Amsterdam mud scow. A modderschouw is a ship that was used for transporting harbour silt. The vessel was wrecked in the second half of the seventeenth century. And during deep ploughing on this plot south of Lawsonpad and east of the IJmeerdijk, a batch of 50 to 60 prefabricated parts of a roof construction of a medieval church was found. Parts of a hexagonal bell tower were also found.

ZC-3
Research was carried out on plot C3 in Southern Flevoland in March 1977 following reports of a shipwreck found during excavation work. Risen groundwater made investigation difficult and only very brief information was recorded. After determining the location and measuring the ship, the ship was covered with soil again. In 1982 and 2001, attempts were made to re-locate the wreck, to no avail. In 2012, the wreck, which by now had been named 'the Flying Dutchman', was located by manual probing. The probably sixteenth-century 14.80-metre ship has some similarities with the kogge, and with the over-seam watercraft.

ZK-47
The shipwreck on plot K47 in Southern Flevoland was explored in the same year following a report in 1978. It concerns a heavy-built fishing vessel belonging to the water vessel type. The object lies 20 m east of the Waterland road and 100 m west of the Gooise road. Its greatest length is about 19 m and its greatest width is about 6 m. Based on the soil structure and various finds, the dating has been established as the second half of the 16th century. After exploration, the wreck was ensconced and classified as a site of very high archaeological value. Currently, the shipwreck has the status of 'National Monument'. During the construction of the national highway, the wreck was taken into account by placing a retaining wall for protection between the object and the national highway.

Excavation files

The website of DANS easy contains all excavation files of the whole of Flevoland. Here you will find more information and fun facts for each shipwreck.