'Silent witnesses' (Wouda pumping station Lemmer) Oil on canvas 60 x 80 cm
This painting is an artist's impression of the central machine hall of the Woudagemaal in Lemmer. Two women's shoes are depicted on the stairs in the painting: the silent witnesses. The 'Ir. D.F. Woudagemaal' is the largest steam pumping station in the world. It is still in operation from time to time. The pumping station is located in Lemmer near Tacozijl in Friesland. It is used on average once a year, usually during periods of heavy rain and wind. This is intended to keep the Frisian reservoir water at the required level if circumstances prevent the pumping station at Stavoren from supplying sufficient capacity. The pumping station has been on the UNESCO World Heritage List since 1998. The enormous machine hall depicted here contains four steam engines with four flywheels coupled to them, which are still operational. The steam engines and flywheels drive eight round pumps that move approximately six million m³ of water per day.
The title of the painting 'Silent witnesses' also refers to Lemmer's past. During the Second World War, Lemmer and the Noordoostpolder were a paradise for people in hiding. The resistance and the allies had discovered the desolate Noordoostpolder as an area where pilots could make an emergency landing, or even drop weapons. It is estimated that a total of about 20,000 people were in hiding in the Noordoostpolder. Bert can remember that both his father and mother - at the risk of their own lives - brought people in hiding from the western part of the Netherlands to Limburg and Friesland. Unfortunately, many resistance fighters died and the silent witnesses in the painting are a tribute to these heroes and heroines.
