Veerplas () is an artificial lake directly east of the

Dutch Dutch or Nederlands commonly refers to: * Something of, from, or related to the Netherlands ** Dutch people as an ethnic group () ** Dutch nationality law, history and regulations of Dutch citizenship () ** Dutch language () * In specific terms, i ...

city of

Haarlem Haarlem (; predecessor of ''Harlem'' in English language, English) is a List of cities in the Netherlands by province, city and Municipalities of the Netherlands, municipality in the Netherlands. It is the capital of the Provinces of the Nether ...

. It was dug in 1994, mainly for recreation purposes and forms part of the

Spaarnwoude Spaarnwoude is a village in the Dutch province of North Holland. It is a part of the municipality of Haarlemmermeer and lies about northeast of Haarlem. Overview The village was first mentioned in the first half of the 11th century as Spirner ...

recreational area. The lake measures 450 by 400 metres. The southern shore is formed by a

constructed wetland A constructed wetland is an artificial wetland to treat sewage, greywater, stormwater runoff or Industrial wastewater treatment, industrial wastewater. It may also be designed for land reclamation after mining, or as a Flood mitigation, mitigatio ...

used for water purification. Large numbers of

waterfowl Anseriformes is an order of birds also known as waterfowl that comprises about 180 living species of birds in three families: Anhimidae (three species of screamers), Anseranatidae (the magpie goose), and Anatidae, the largest family, which i ...

may be found here and along the swampy eastern shore during the winter season (e.g. greylag geese,

wigeon The wigeons or widgeons are a group of birds, dabbling ducks currently classified in the genus ''Mareca'' along with two other species. There are three extant species of wigeon, in addition to one recently extinct species. Biology There are ...

common goldeneye The common goldeneye or simply goldeneye (''Bucephala clangula'') is a medium-sized sea duck of the genus ''Goldeneye (duck), Bucephala'', the goldeneyes. Its closest relative is the similar Barrow's goldeneye. The genus name is derived from th ...

s). The local angling club has released

carp The term carp (: carp) is a generic common name for numerous species of freshwater fish from the family (biology), family Cyprinidae, a very large clade of ray-finned fish mostly native to Eurasia. While carp are prized game fish, quarries and a ...

s into the lake. A sandy beach measuring some 300 m was created at the western shore. An area sufficiently shallow to accommodate safe swimming by inexperienced bathers is cordoned off. Furthermore, a grassy sunbathing area sporting a public toilet adjoins the lake, as well as a children's adventure playground. The lake is only a short walking distance from

Haarlem Spaarnwoude railway station Haarlem (; predecessor of ''Harlem'' in English) is a city and municipality in the Netherlands. It is the capital of the province of North Holland. Haarlem is situated at the northern edge of the Randstad, one of the more populated metropolit ...

and relatively close to the A200 and A9 motorways. This favourable location has helped to make it a popular area for organising mid to large-scale events. Thus, 2006 saw the

Circus Herman Renz Circus Herman Renz is the largest circus in the Netherlands, and has been touring the Netherlands and other countries since 1911. History decided in the winter of 1911 to start his own circus. The first artist he contracted was his friend Tom ...

pitch its tent alongside the lake.

Future development of the Veerplas area

The municipality of Haarlem's ''Spoorzone'' masterplan provides for the construction of 260 houses along the Veerplas's western shore. The construction of a recreation center accommodating sports activities, nature education and catering is also planned.Sports & Adventure Plaza de Veerplas B.V.

References

{{reflist Lakes of the Netherlands Landmarks in the Netherlands Landforms of North Holland