The Alblasserwaard () is a polder in the

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

of South Holland,

Netherlands ) , anthem = ( en, "William of Nassau") , image_map = , map_caption = , subdivision_type = Sovereign state , subdivision_name = Kingdom of the Netherlands , established_title = Before independence , established_date = Spanish Netherl ...

. It is mainly known for the windmills of Kinderdijk, located near the village of

Kinderdijk Kinderdijk () is a village in the municipality of Molenlanden, in the province of South Holland, Netherlands. It is located about east of Rotterdam. Kinderdijk is situated in the Alblasserwaard polder at the confluence of the Lek and Noord riv ...

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-gatherers 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 late 5th to the late 15th centuries, similar to the post-classical period of global history. It began with the fall of the Western Roman Empire ...

several canals and

dikes Dyke (UK) or dike (US) may refer to: General uses * Dyke (slang), a slang word meaning "lesbian" * Dike (geology), a subvertical sheet-like intrusion of magma or sediment * Dike (mythology), ''Dikē'', the Greek goddess of moral justice * Dikes ...

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. Yet numerous floods continued to happen throughout the history of the area, as it is bound by rivers on all sides. During

World War II World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposing ...

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 po ...

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 ...

were hit by German bombs. It was flooded during the North Sea flood of 1953.

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 ancient 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 a ...

. 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. It starts near the village Doornenburg near the German border. A legend tells us that if there w ...

and the

Oude Zederik Awadh (), known in British historical texts as Avadh or Oudh, is a region in the modern Indian state of Uttar Pradesh, which was before independence known as the United Provinces of Agra and Oudh. It is synonymous with the Kośāla region of ...

, together forming the boundary with

Vijfheerenlanden Vijfheerenlanden (), literally "lands of five Lords", is a municipality in the province of Utrecht in the Netherlands. The municipality was created on 1 January 2019 through the merger of the former municipalities of Vianen (Utrecht), Leerdam an ...

. De village Kinderdijk, well known from its windmills, is located at the northwest corner of the Alblasserwaard, where the Noord and the Lek joins. Most of the Alblasserwaard is rural, but partially under the influence of the cities

Rotterdam Rotterdam ( , , , lit. ''The Dam on the River Rotte'') is the second largest city and municipality in the Netherlands. It is in the province of South Holland, part of the North Sea mouth of the Rhine–Meuse–Scheldt delta, via the ''"Ne ...

and

Dordrecht Dordrecht (), historically known in English as Dordt (still colloquially used in Dutch, ) or Dort, is a city and municipality in the Western Netherlands, located in the province of South Holland. It is the province's fifth-largest city after R ...

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

Gorinchem Gorinchem ( or ), 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 municipality of Gorinchem al ...

, 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: *

Giessenlanden Giessenlanden () is a former municipality in the western Netherlands, in the province of South Holland. The municipality covered an area of of which is water, and had a population of as of . The municipality included communities of Arkel, Giess ...

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 ar ...

Molenwaard Molenwaard () is a former municipality in the western Netherlands, in the southeastern part of the province of South Holland, and the northwestern part of the region of Alblasserwaard. It was the result of a merger of the municipalities of Gra ...

Sliedrecht Sliedrecht () is a town and municipality in the western Netherlands, in the province of South Holland. The municipality covers an area of of which is covered by water. Sliedrecht is known for the many large dredging companies (including Bosk ...

Zederik Zederik () is a former municipality in the western Netherlands, in the province of South Holland. The municipality covered an area of of which is water. It had a population of in . The municipality of Zederik was formed on January 1, 1986, thr ...

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 won from the water through land reclamation, 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

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 and

Brandwijk Brandwijk is a small village in the Dutch province of South Holland. It is a part of the municipality of Molenlanden, and lies about 13 km west of Gorinchem Gorinchem ( or ), also spelled Gorkum, is a city and municipality in the western Ne ...

is the area

Donkse Laagten The Donkse Laagten is a small Dutch nature reserve of roughly two square kilometres in the Alblasserwaard in the province of South Holland. It is located in the municipality of Molenlanden, between the towns Streefkerk to the northwest and Bleske ...

, which is under the protection of the Dutch governmental branch

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