Lunch Break Safe In Urk

The inhabitants of Urk do not longer have to be afraid that a part of their precious lunch is lost through an open bridge or water lock. The province of Flevoland has decided to keep all bridges closed around lunch time. The province meets the needs of a common complaint in Urk, a province spokeswoman said on Thursday. On the former island, it is common that they eat a warm meal at home, the so-called 'kost', between 1.00 and 2.00 pm. Open bridges around that time, however, arose traffic congestion in the village and that caused that the midday meal had to be often hurriedly eaten. The Urkers can now enjoy a quiet lunch again until the end of this year. On January 1, a new operating system is going to be used for the bridges and water locks. It is not yet known if this new system will affect the peaceful lunch in Urk. Urk Urk, first mentioned in historical records from around the 10th century, has always been an island. First in a lake and then in the sea, when the lake was incorporated by the sea in the 13^th century. Again it became an island in a lake when the Zuiderzee was closed off from the North Sea in 1933 by the Afsluitdijk. In 1939 the island was connected with a dike and ceased to be an island. Later in the 20th century, seabed areas surrounding Urk were reclaimed from the sea and this new land, including Urk, became the Noordoostpolder. The mainstay of the town's economy has always been fishing. The fishing boats of Urk can be found at the IJsselmeer but they are also still fishing in the North Sea. Religious life has traditionally been very important to Urk's inhabitants, with active, conservative congregations of the Dutch Reformed playing the most important role in the life of the community.