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The Achtermeer polder south of Alkmaar in the Dutch province of North Holland is the first known polder in the Netherlands. Emperor Charles V granted in 1532 the permit to drain the forty-hectare lake. The draining was completed in 1533.

In 1573 the polder was flooded again for a short period. Partly because of that the Spaniards, who had their camp there, had to give up the Siege of Alkmaar. This defeat heralded the end of the Eighty Years' War.

From 1709 the mill of the Achtermeer also kept the polder Overdie dry. Together with the Klappolder, that was added a few years later, the Water Board of the Overdie and Achtermeer polders took its definitive form. The Water Board was abolished in 1962. The area is now managed by the Hoogheemraadschap Hollands Noorderkwartier. This water board manages the original 352 water boards still existing in 1931.

After the Second World War a residential area was built in the polder so it is now entirely within the built-up area of Alkmaar. When planning this new neighbourhood, the subdivision and the polder ditches were the starting point for the street pattern. Parts of the ring canal have been preserved.

After the fire of the mill in 1912, the Diesel pumping station Alkmaar maintained from 1913 to 1988 the water level in the Overdie and Achtermeer polder. This pumping station is since 1994 a provincial monument. It is still functioning in times of exceptional high water. The black arrow in the recent map indicates the location of the pumping station.