The Alblasserwaard () is a

polder A polder () is a low-lying tract of land that forms an artificial hydrology, hydrological entity, enclosed by embankments known as levee, dikes. The three types of polder are: # Land reclamation, Land reclaimed from a body of water, such as a ...

in the

province A province is an administrative division within a country or sovereign state, state. The term derives from the ancient Roman , which was the major territorial and administrative unit of the Roman Empire, Roman Empire's territorial possessions ou ...

South Holland South Holland ( ) is a province of the Netherlands with a population of over 3.8 million as of January 2023 and a population density of about , making it the country's most populous province and one of the world's most densely populated areas. ...

Netherlands , Terminology of the Low Countries, informally Holland, is a country in Northwestern Europe, with Caribbean Netherlands, overseas territories in the Caribbean. It is the largest of the four constituent countries of the Kingdom of the Nether ...

. It is mainly known for the windmills of Kinderdijk, located near the village of Kinderdijk in the polder's northwestern part.

History

The first human inhabitants of the Alblasserwaard settled there after the last ice age, around 10.000 years ago. The ice had not reached the area itself, but eolian deposits created high points in the wet environment. These high points were places where

hunter-gatherer A hunter-gatherer or forager is a human living in a community, or according to an ancestrally derived Lifestyle, lifestyle, in which most or all food is obtained by foraging, that is, by gathering food from local naturally occurring sources, esp ...

s settled, as archaeological investigations in the area have shown. During the

Middle Ages In the history of Europe, the Middle Ages or medieval period lasted approximately from the 5th to the late 15th centuries, similarly to the post-classical period of global history. It began with the fall of the Western Roman Empire and ...

, several canals and

dikes Dyke or dike may refer to: General uses * Dyke (slang), a slang word meaning "lesbian" * Dike (geology), formations of magma or sediment that cut through and across the layering of adjacent rocks * Dike (mythology), ''Dikē'', the Greek goddess ...

were created to reclaim the land. The last part was diked in the second half of the 14th century, following the permanent flooding of Woude and Donkersloot. However, numerous floods continued to happen throughout the history of the area, as it is bound by rivers and watercourses on all sides. During

World War II World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...

, the Bombing of Rotterdam also damaged the Alblasserwaard, when both the village center of

Alblasserdam Alblasserdam () is a town and municipality in the western Netherlands, in the province of South Holland. It covers an area of , of which is water, and has a population of as of . Alblasserdam is officially a part of the Drechtsteden region. A p ...

and a part of

Papendrecht Papendrecht () is a town and municipality in the western Netherlands, in the province of South Holland, at the crossing of the River Beneden Merwede and the Noord River. The municipality had a population of in and covers an area of of which is ...

were hit by German bombs. It was flooded during the

North Sea flood of 1953 The 1953 North Sea flood () was a major flood caused by a heavy storm surge that struck the Netherlands, north-west Belgium, England and Scotland. Most sea defences facing the surge were overwhelmed, resulting in extensive flooding. The ...

Geography and population

The Alblasserwaard is bordered by rivers on all sides. To the north is the Lek, to the west runs the

Noord Noord () is a town and region in Aruba (part of the Kingdom of the Netherlands). This town is known for its low rise and high rise hotels, restaurants, beaches, malls, the California Lighthouse, and other places of attraction. Places of interes ...

and to the south the river

Merwede The Merwede (; etymology uncertain, possibly derived from the Old Dutch ''merwe'' or ''merowe'', a word meaning "wide water") is the name of several connected stretches of river in the Netherlands, between the cities of Woudrichem, Dordrecht and ...

. On the east side are the Merwede-Kanaal, the

Linge The Linge is a river in the Betuwe that is 99.8 km long, which makes it one of the longest rivers that flow entirely within the Netherlands. The river starts near the village of Doornenburg near the German border. A legend tells us that i ...

and the Oude Zederik, together forming the boundary with Vijfheerenlanden. The village of Kinderdijk, well known for its windmills, is located at the northwest corner of the Alblasserwaard, where the Noord and the Lek join. Most of the Alblasserwaard is rural, but, partially under the influence of the cities of

Rotterdam Rotterdam ( , ; ; ) is the second-largest List of cities in the Netherlands by province, city in the Netherlands after the national capital of Amsterdam. It is in the Provinces of the Netherlands, province of South Holland, part of the North S ...

and

Dordrecht Dordrecht (), historically known in English as Dordt (still colloquially used in Dutch, ) or Dort, is a List of cities in the Netherlands by province, city and List of municipalities of the Netherlands, municipality in the Western Netherlands, lo ...

on the borders of the area, the south and west are urbanised. The largest cities in the Alblasserwaard are

Gorinchem Gorinchem ( ), pronunciation respelling, also spelled Gorkum, is a city and municipality in the western Netherlands, in the province of South Holland. The municipality covers an area of of which is water. It had a population of in . The munici ...

, with 35,000 inhabitants, and

with slightly over 30,000 people. Both are on the southern borders of the Alblasserwaard. The municipalities in the Alblasserwaard are: *

Hardinxveld-Giessendam Hardinxveld-Giessendam () is a municipality in the western Netherlands, in the province of South Holland. It is located about 10 km east of Dordrecht, on the river Beneden-Merwede. The municipality had a population of in and covers an are ...

Molenlanden Molenlanden () is a municipality in the province of South Holland in the Netherlands. The municipality was created on 1 January 2019 by merging the municipalities of Giessenlanden en Molenwaard. It is located east of Rotterdam along the Lek. Th ...

* Sliedrecht * Zederik File:Kinderdijk diverse RM foto3 2014-03-09 10.48.jpg, Kinderdijk, several windmills File:Tussen Meerkerk en Ameide, sloot in polderlandschap foto6 2016-10-05 14.43.jpg, between Meerkerk and Ameide, ditch in the polder File:Tussen Ameide en Meerkerk, sloot in polderlandschap foto5 2016-10-05 14.50.jpg, between Ameide and Meerkerk, ditch in the polder

Geology

Extensive parts of the Netherlands are below sea level, and the Alblasserwaard is no different. Most of it has been wrestled from the water through

land reclamation Land reclamation, often known as reclamation, and also known as land fill (not to be confused with a waste landfill), is the process of creating new Terrestrial ecoregion, land from oceans, list of seas, seas, Stream bed, riverbeds or lake ...

, using the windmills on the Kinderdijk. This process led to the area being full of dikes alongside the rivers. Most of the Alblasserwaard is grassland, where in the spring and summer one will find herds of cows, sheep and goats. The ground consists of clay.

Nature and recreation

While large parts of the Alblasserwaard are owned by farmers, or are populated, some areas are open to the public for recreation. *The windmills of Kinderdijk are a major tourist attraction. *In the southwest of the Alblasserwaard is the Alblasserbos, an artificial forest area where deer and foxes live, as well as numerous smaller species. *Roughly between

Streefkerk Streefkerk is a town in the Dutch province of South Holland. It is a part of the municipality of Molenlanden, and lies on the southside of the river Lek, about 20 kilometres east of Rotterdam Rotterdam ( , ; ; ) is the second-largest List ...

and Brandwijk is the area Donkse Laagten, which is under the protection of the Dutch government forestry authority

Staatsbosbeheer Staatsbosbeheer, founded in 1899, is a Dutch government organization for forestry and the management of nature reserves. Staatsbosbeheer currently oversees over 250,000 hectares of land in the Netherlands. Usually this land is open to the public ...

. *There are three free camping spots in the Alblasserwaard, as part of a project by Staatsbosbeheer to promote legal camping in the wild. These are located respectively in the Alblasserbos, the Donkse Laagten and the Avelingen. *The Lammetjeswiel is a recreational area within the village of Alblasserdam. It is a popular swimming area, with governmental checks of the water condition twice a month.

References

External links

Google Map of the AlblasserwaardUNESCO about the windmills at Kinderdijk (World Heritage List)
{{Coord, 51, 52, 24, N, 4, 48, 3, E, type:adm2nd_region:NL_source:nlwiki, display=title Regions of the Netherlands Regions of South Holland Polders of South Holland