A dijkgraaf (lit. 'dike-warden, dike-reeve'), sometimes called a watergraaf, is the chair of a Dutch water board. The dijkgraaf is the equivalent of a mayor in local government and a King's Commissioner in provincial government, chairing both the legislative and executive council, while having both ceremonial and representational roles as well as their own portfolios. The term goes back to medieval days.
Literally the term means "Dike count", like other titles ending in -graaf (equivalent to English: -grave and German: -graf) of feudal origin, but remained a functional official. The government bodies in the Netherlands today in order of rank are:
- National
- Provincial
- Municipal
- Water boards.[citation needed]
In medieval times and earlier however, the water boards were the same as municipal, and since it was a country of duchies, the Water board (Waterschap) was in governmental terms the equivalent of a city (Stad), and thus also the highest form of government.
References
edit- Dijkgraaf definition (Dutch)
- Dijkgraaf etymology (Dutch)
- Water Canon[permanent dead link] (English version) website of The Ministry of Transport, Public Works and Water Management
- First female dijkgraaf Joan Leemhuis-Stout (Dutch)
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