Property: Droogmakerij de Beemster (Beemster Polder)
Id. N°: 899
State Party: Netherlands
Criteria: C (i) (ii) (iv)
The Committee inscribed the site on the World Heritage List on the basis of criteria (i), (ii), and (iv):
Criterion (i): The Beemster Polder is a masterpiece of creative planning, in which the ideals of antiquity and the Renaissance were applied to the design of a reclaimed landscape.
Criterion (ii): The innovative and intellectually imaginative landscape of the Beemster Polder had a profound and lasting impact on reclamation projects in Europe and beyond.
Criterion (iv): The creation of the Beemster Polder marks a major step forward in the interrelationship between humankind and water at a crucial period of social and economic expansion.
Referring to the particular character of the nominations of the Netherlands, the Observer of the Netherlands informed the Committee that very recently the parliament of the Netherlands had accepted a policy document on the integration of cultural heritage - archaeology, built heritage and cultural landscapes - in national, provincial and local planning policies. World Heritage preservation is explicitly incorporated in this document. The Netherlands would be pleased to share this kind of experience with other States Parties.