The Wortman Pumping Station is situated at Oostvaardersdijk 32 in Lelystad, Flevoland, the Netherlands.[1] It consists of a series of blocks, built atop a concrete substructure that contains the suction and pressure shafts. Central is a one-storey machine hall with a mastic gable roof. To the side of the hall are various service rooms, spread across two storeys. The superstructure is built on a concrete frame, filled with alternating brick and glass facades;[2] these glass panes were initially framed in steel, but are currently framed in aluminium.[3]
In its engine room, the pumping station contains four centrifugal pumps on concrete volutes, which are driven by four seven-cylinder diesel engines. Each pump has the capacity to remove 500 cubic metres (18,000 cu ft), or 500,000 litres (110,000 imp gal; 130,000 US gal), per minute. Water is drained into the Markermeer,[2] with check valves ensuring that the discharge is not returned to the polder.[3] Fuel for the engines was originally stored aboveground; a subterranean storage facility has since been installed northeast of the station.[2][3]
On its southwest façade, the pumping station features a relief by Paul Grégoire [nl]. At the centre of the relief are three individuals: a woman, a young child, and a man. The woman, representing the sea, is giving the child (representing the land) to a man, who will inhabit the land and use it productively. Surrounding this relief are symbols of the sea and the land, including fish, shells, and a beaver.[4] On the northeast facade is another relief, completed by Gerard van Remmen [nl].[3] The pumping station also features a mural by Hans van Norden [nl]. This work symbolizes the bridging of land and sea, which are depicted under a flying Dutch flag.[4]
Near the station are several residences, which were previously occupied by the service staff. The complex also includes a lock, the Noordersluis, through which shipping traffic can pass.[2] It measures 65 metres (213 ft) long and 8 metres (26 ft) wide.[5]
The Wortman Pumping Station was designed by the architect Dirk Roosenburg.[2] It is named after Hendrik Wortman, a Dutch civil engineer who contributed to the Zuiderzee Works[4] and later chaired its council.[2] Excavation of the construction pit began in 1951, and was completed in 1952. The first pile was driven the following September. American-made pumps were acquired through the Marshall Plan.[3]
The Lelystad dyke was closed on 13 September 1956; later that day, Queen Juliana officially declared the commencement of operations at the Wortman Pumping Station.[6] However, construction was incomplete, and shortly thereafter the station temporarily ceased operations so that it could be finished.[3] On 17 November, two of the initial three pumps began operations, with drainage taking place eighteen hours per day. Shortly thereafter, a third pump began operations, allowing for non-stop drainage.[3] The station's design allowed for the installation of a fourth pump, which occurred several years later.[3]
Together with the Colijn Pumping Station [nl] in Ketelhaven [nl] and the H. J. Lovink Pumping Station in Biddinghuizen, the Wortman Pumping Station was used for the reclamation of the eastern Flevopolder,[7] which was officially declared dry on 27 June 1957.[8] The area around the Wortman Pumping Station, which was covered in the deepest water, remained swampy after this declaration. Only several years later was agriculture possible.[3] These three stations subsequently contributed to the reclamation of the southern Flevopolder, which was achieved in 1968.[8]
In May 1987, a fire – attributed to engine failure – occurred at the Wortman Pumping Station. Damages were estimated in the millions of guilder, and the station was out of service for several weeks.[9] In 2017, Lelystad declared the Wortman Pumping Station a municipal monument as part of the Werkeiland.[10] The station is currently owned and operated by the Zuiderzeeland Water Authority [nl]. The station is only operated in exceptional circumstances, such as heavy rainfall.[11]
"Gemaal Lovink" [Lovink Pumping Station]. Flevoland Heritage (in Dutch). Fleurbaaij Kunst & Cultuur. Archived from the original on 27 September 2023. Retrieved 9 June 2024.
"Gemaal Lovink" [Lovink Pumping Station] (in Dutch). Zuiderzeeland Water Authority. 26 May 2020. Archived from the original on 8 June 2024. Retrieved 9 June 2024.
"Gemaal Wortman" [Wortman Pumping Station]. Flevoland Heritage (in Dutch). Fleurbaaij Kunst & Cultuur. Archived from the original on 25 September 2023. Retrieved 16 July 2024.
