Flood Disaster and Delta Works from the Skies
What did the flooded disaster area look like in 1953? Or the construction of the Delta Works? Aerial photographer Bart Hofmeester captured countless images of these events.
Bart Hofmeester (1921-2001) was for many years one of the most innovative aerial photographers. Over 50 years before Google Earth existed, this Rotterdammer was already flying through the air to capture landscapes on film. From Zestienhoven Airport in Rotterdam, he took photographs of the entire Dutch landscape with his company AeroCamera.
When the greatest Dutch natural disaster of the 20th century occurred on February 1, 1953, the dikes broke in the southwest of the Netherlands. 1836 people died. Hofmeester’s camera lenses captured it all: the breached dikes, destroyed villages, and battered houses.
Hofmeester didn’t only photograph the tragic consequences of the Watersnoodramp; he also captured the aftermath help and the rebuilding of the country. In the decades that followed, Hofmeester focused on the construction of the Delta Works, the major Dutch project designed to prevent a disaster like 1953 from ever happening again.
The Rotterdam photographer knew even then that his work was of great importance to Dutch history. Hofmeester’s collection totals about two million photographs. A portion of this is on display in the exhibition Flood Disaster and Delta Works from the Skies.
