Markerwaard Markerwaard was a planned fifth polder that has never been completed. It was intended to build a south-western polder, to be called the Markerwaard, at several times during the project, but other polders took precedence. Parts of it have been built; in 1941 it was decided to begin work on the first section of dike, but the German occupiers stopped construction that same year. This dike originated on Marken, the last of the IJsselmeer islands, and went north for some where it ends abruptly today. After World War II, the eastern polder was chosen as the next project, but Marken was not wholly ignored; on 17 October 1957, a long dike was closed, running south of the now former island to the North Holland mainland. thumb|upright|Markerwaard as envisioned in 1981 When construction started in 1959 on a new dike it had not yet been decided whether this would be the northern dike of Southern Flevoland or the southern dike of the Markerwaard, but the choice eventually fell to the former and another chance for the Markerwaard had passed. A minor flood near Amsterdam in 1960 had demonstrated the danger a large IJsselmeer still presented. A further planned element of the Markerwaard was subsequently executed: a 28 km dike between Lelystad and Enkhuizen, including two complexes of locks and discharge sluices at either end, was to split the IJsselmeer in two, with the largest portion () continuing as the IJsselmeer and the smaller lake () being named the Markermeer. Construction of this dike, known later as the Houtribdijk or Markerwaarddijk''', progressed slowly, lasting from 1963 to 1975, after which it also served as an important road connection between the north of North Holland and the eastern Netherlands. The Houtribdijk did not, however, result in the construction of the rest of the Markerwaard, as many had hoped.
Markerwaard Markerwaard was a planned fifth polder that has never been completed. It was intended to build a south-western polder, to be called the Markerwaard, at several times during the project, but other polders took precedence Parts of it have been built; in 1941 it was decided to begin work on the first section of dike, but the German occupiers stopped construction that same year. This dike originated on Marken the last of the IJsselmeer islands, and went north for some where it ends abruptly today. After World War II, the eastern polder was chosen as the next project, but Marken was not wholly ignored; on 17 October 1957, a long dike was closed, running south of the now former island to the North Holland mainland. thumb|upright|Markerwaard as envisioned in 1981 When construction started in 1959 on a new dike it had not yet been decided whether this would be the northern dike of Southern Flevoland or the southern dike of the Markerwaard, but the choice eventually fell to the former and another chance for the Markerwaard had passed. A minor flood near Amsterdam in 1960 had demonstrated the danger a large IJsselmeer still presented. A further planned element of the Markerwaard was subsequently executed: a 28 km dike between Lelystad and Enkhuizen, including two complexes of locks and discharge sluices at either end, was to split the IJsselmeer in two, with the largest portion () continuing as the IJsselmeer and the smaller lake () being named the Markermeer. Construction of this dike, known later as the Houtribdijk or Markerwaarddijk''', progressed slowly, lasting from 1963 to 1975, after which it also served as an important road connection between the north of North Holland and the eastern Netherlands. The Houtribdijk did not, however result in the construction of the rest of the Markerwaard, as many had hoped.