The Afsluitsdijk, the 32 kilometre sea dyke which links Den Oever in Noord-Holland to the province of Friesland, is to undergo major renovation work, infrastructure minister Melanie Schultz has told parliament.

The dyke, built over 75 years ago, separates the Wadden Sea from the fresh water IJsselmeer lake.

The minister has set aside €800m for the project, which will involve strengthening the dyke along its full length and renewing the sluice gates and pumping stations.

Rotterdam artist Daan Roosegaarde has been asked to work on the project to reinforce the dyke’s image as a part of the Netherlands’ cultural and civil engineering heritage. The dyke currently attracts some 250,000 tourists a year.