The Netherlands-Cruquius
The reclamation of "Haarlemmermeer" -a lake of 170 square kilometres (66 sq miles)- by means of steam power marked the breakthrough of the Industrial Revolution in the Netherlands. The "Cruquius”, commissioned in 1849, pumped lake Haarlem dry in three years and three months, together with two identical steam-pumping stations. Only the Cruquius remained untouched and houses the worlds’ largest steam engine: its main cylinder has a diameter of 3.66 meter. The engine room, unchanged since 1849, is a miracle of Victorian technology. The Cruquius was decommissioned in 1932; the Dutch Royal Institute of Engineers adopted the pumping station as a museum and saved it from demolition. The museum opened in 1936, making the Cruquius one of the first technical museums in the world. No visit is complete without a full demonstration of this impressive steam engine.
Image made with kite and camera (attached to the kite's line).© Tom Kisjes
Loading contexts...
