A quarter of Netherlands lie below the sea level.
Most of these low-lying areas are land reclaimed from the sea.
A suitable spot was found in the middle of a forest on a polder in northern Flevoland.
Water was guided into and out of the miniature locks and sluices brought from a nearby canal.
Concrete basins were used to research wave motion.
This playground is known as Waterloopbos, meaningForest of the streams.
The institute played an important advisory role in the realization of the Delta Works.
Finally, the trees provided protection from wind minimizing its influence on the experiments conducted.
These tests continued for more than twenty years through the 1960s, the 70s and the 80s.
Waterloopkundig Laboratorium then began seeking clients from abroad.
By the 1990s, two-thirds of projects undergoing at Waterloopbos were of foreign clients.
In total, more than 200 different studies were conducted at Waterloopbos.
With the development of computer models and software simulation, building of test models became largely unnecessary.
The laboratory closed in 1996 and was subsequently abandoned.
Since then, the site has become a popular spot among enthusiasts.
Scale model of the Nieuwe Waterweg at Waterloopbos in 1956.
A model testing the proposed Bangkok harbor.
