The Creil Woods ''Dutch: Creiler Woud'' or ''Kreilse Bos'' was a
forest
A forest is an area of land dominated by trees. Hundreds of definitions of forest are used throughout the world, incorporating factors such as tree density, tree height, land use, legal standing, and ecological function. The United Nations' ...
in an area that is now partially the northeast of
North Holland
North Holland ( nl, Noord-Holland, ) is a province of the Netherlands in the northwestern part of the country. It is located on the North Sea, north of South Holland and Utrecht, and west of Friesland and Flevoland. In November 2019, it had a ...
and partially submerged in the
IJsselmeer
The IJsselmeer (; fy, Iselmar, nds-nl, Iesselmeer), also known as Lake IJssel in English, is a closed off inland bay in the central Netherlands bordering the provinces of Flevoland, North Holland and Friesland. It covers an area of with an a ...
and
Wadden Sea
The Wadden Sea ( nl, Waddenzee ; german: Wattenmeer; nds, Wattensee or ; da, Vadehavet; fy, Waadsee, longname=yes; frr, di Heef) is an intertidal zone in the southeastern part of the North Sea. It lies between the coast of northwestern conti ...
, between what is currently
Texel
Texel (; Texels dialect: ) is a municipality and an island with a population of 13,643 in North Holland, Netherlands. It is the largest and most populated island of the West Frisian Islands in the Wadden Sea. The island is situated north of De ...
and
Enkhuizen
Enkhuizen () is a municipality and a city in the Netherlands, in the province of North Holland and the region of West-Frisia.
History
Enkhuizen, like Hoorn and Amsterdam, was one of the harbor-towns of the VOC, from where overseas trade wi ...
.
The woods are known for having been the location of a large hunt organised by
Floris II, Count of Holland
Floris II, called Floris the Fat ( – 2 March 1121) was the first from the native dynasty of Holland to be called Count of Holland, reigning from 1091 until his death.
Life
Floris was the son of his predecessor Dirk V and his wife Othilde. Fl ...
in 1119.
The 1170
All Saints' Flood largely destroyed the forest as it was submerged during the birth of the
Zuiderzee
The Zuiderzee or Zuider Zee (; old spelling ''Zuyderzee'' or ''Zuyder Zee'') was a shallow bay of the North Sea in the northwest of the Netherlands, extending about 100 km (60 miles) inland and at most 50 km (30 miles) wide, with an o ...
.
Part of the area that the forest once inhabited has been reclaimed as the
Wieringermeer Polder in 1927. Remains of the forest can still be found on the floor of the Wadden Sea and IJsselmeer.
The Creil Woods is the namesake to the towns of
Creil
Creil is a commune in the Oise department in northern France. The Creil station is an important railway junction.
History
Archaeological remains in the area include a Neolithic site as well as a late Iron Age necropolis, perhaps belonging to ...
,
Kreil and
Kreileroord
Kreileroord is a village in the Dutch province of North Holland. It is a part of the municipality of Hollands Kroon, and lies about 21 km north of Hoorn.
The settlement started around 1930 as Dorp IV (village IV). In the 1950s, the current ...
.
{{coord missing, Netherlands
Forests of the Netherlands
Geography of North Holland