Blijdorpse Polder steam pumping station

You are standing on Statenweg in Blijdorp, now a busy street, but once surrounded by fields and polders. In the eighteenth century, this was the Blijdorpsche polder, kept dry by windmills.

In 1787, the world’s first steam-powered pumping station was put into operation here. Steven Hoogendijk, a Rotterdam clockmaker and inventor, made this possible. After a failed attempt at Oostpoort in 1763, he built a new pumping station with support from the Bataafsch Genootschap at the corner of Statenweg and Bischopsstraat. It became operational in September 1787 and even attracted the attention of Stadtholder Willem V.

The pump was called the “fire-breathing monster,” but it faced opposition. Farmers complained about the noise and nicknamed it “Keezending” due to Hoogendijk’s patriotic ties. Because of resistance and political tensions, the pump ceased operation in 1791.

In 2004, remains of its foundation were discovered during excavation. These are now housed in the Cruquius Museum, a reminder of this technological breakthrough.