Ten years ago a road was built on a dike that connected Urk to the mainland and traditions began to change. A new Urk law made it a crime to cuddle after dark along public roads.

Far from the bustle and night life of the big cities, The Netherlands is still dotted with some of the world’s dourest Calvinist communities. Among its grimmest is the former islet of Urk (pop. 5,500), a fishing village on the Zuider Zee. On Sundays, Urkers still separate their hens from…