The Steam Halfweg is the oldest operational steam-powered pumping station in the world. It was built in 1853, and was used to pump excess water from the belt canal of the Haarlemmermeer to the Ij, and from there to the North Sea Canal. The pump would transport 25,000 litres of water a second. One of the boilers has been dismantles so that visitors can see how it works. The other is fully operational, and generates 3 tonnes of steam per hour.
