A local lad - Jan Adriaanzoon Leeghwater (1575-1650) - worked out a means of turning water into land. Leeghwater, who was born in De Rijp, was responsible for planning the reclamation of the Beemster and Schermer lakes, and contributed to many other engineering feats both in Holland and abroad. The reclamation did not cut De Rijp off from the sea, or bring its involvement in whaling to an end, as many suppose. There were a good many Rijper whalers and whaling boats right through to the end of the 18th century. It did however bring to a halt the inland fishing industry on which many locals depended.

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Make:	Panasonic
Model:	DMC-LX5
Exposure:	0.002 sec (1/500)
Aperture:	f/2.0
ISO Speed:	200
Focal Length:	5.1 mm