De grote en vreeselike vloed: de Sint-Elisabethsvloed 1421-2021

Abstract

Six hundred years ago, the Sint-Elisabeth flood took place, one of the greatest flood disasters in Dutch history. In the night of 18 to 19 November 1421, the dikes broke in the area around Dordrecht: many villages disappeared into the waves for good. This disaster still lives on in our collective memory. The stories about a flood of Biblical proportions formed the basis for a rich culture of remembrance. From the fifteenth century onwards, countless painters, writers, printmakers and mapmakers have immortalized the disaster. This richly illustrated book examines the myth-making and the cultural representation of the disaster, describes the origin and decline of this South Holland landscape, and takes a look into the future of our approach to water.