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Lorentz, Lely, Thijsse and the Afsluitdijk

or: why the shortest path between two points is not always a straight line.

It took more than 40 years to realise the plans for the Afsluitdijk, namely from 1891 to 1932. Dr Ir Cornelis Lely was the inspiration, after many prior plans. There was much opposition to it. After the "minor" flood of 1916, progress was made through the work of a State Commission (1918 - 1926) led by Nobel laureate Prof Dr Hendrik Lorentz, then the scientific "curator" of the Teylers Foundation. His right-hand man in this was the Bloemendaler (later Prof Dr) Ir Jo Thijsse (son of biologist Dr Jac P. Thijsse). Lorentz and Thijsse developed a complex mathematical model of the current profiles in the Wadden Sea. As a result, the course of the Afsluitdijk was modified. Thijsse later became the founder of the Waterloopkundig Laboratorium in Delft.

Frank van den Berg talks about all these plans and the extraordinary lives of the protagonists involved. He is not only chairman of the GDT department but also, among other things, a tour guide at Teylers Museum in Haarlem.

The lecture will take place entirely ONLINE due to the tightened coronagraphs.

Programme:

13.45-14.00 Digital walk-in

14.00-15.00 Lecture followed by an opportunity to ask questions

Register via the KIVI website. After registration, you will receive a link for participation in the lecture via email.