Summer dike, winter dike, channel, floodplain ... who remembers their geography lessons? Anyone who wants to see that dry theory come to life should not miss a visit to the Struikwaard. In this nature reserve along the Afgedamde Maas near Giessen you can admire the summer and winter dike, walk through the floodplains and enjoy a special piece of nature in Biesbosch Line.

Nature Protection

The outer dike area in the Struikwaard is a young conservation area managed by Brabants Landschap. You'll find riparian forests (forest that grew naturally along rivers), reed beds, grasslands and a swamp zone at the bottom of the summer dike. Don't be surprised if you hear mooing: a small herd of Brand red cattle graze the area.

"Thus within the walls reigns the quiet tranquility of a dead past, disturbed only occasionally by the howling of schoolchildren, who have neither eyes nor feeling for what their city once meant. After all, who would dare to say out loud: "This is the thriving capital of the land of Altena. Hear the sound of horns and clarions, as a procession of nobles approaches the castle in splendor and splendor, where great men of the land negotiate!"

Bep M. Bresler, Tourist Champion ANWB, May 1940

Dull, dead, hardly worth visiting. You will be told, as a well-preserved fortified town. It was the verdict that Woudrichem had to make do with in the spring of 1940. That verdict is now much more positive, yet the image has not changed; in Woudrichem you find peace and time seems to stand still a little. But before that happened, a lot of water had to pass through the Merwede.

Strategic waterfront location

On the border of Holland and Gelre, "Where Maas and Waal wash together," that is where Woudrichem is located. A strategically important place, and the inhabitants knew it.

In the Middle Ages, Woudrichem was the capital of the Land of Altena. The city prospered: it had high city walls, a river toll, fishing rights and a large annual fair. It was a coming and going of high-ranking nobles and Woudrichem was often the city in which important negotiations between Holland and Gelre were held.

Woudrichem as part of the New Dutch Waterline

During the Patriot and French periods, nothing significant changes to the fortified town itself. However, the city itself suffered greatly at the end of the French era. Billeting of French and Prussian soldiers, shelling from Gorinchem and the harsh winter of 1814 - during which the Prussians demolished all the wood in the city and its surroundings - left the city half destroyed.

In 1815, Woudrichem officially became part of the New Dutch Waterline. This water line should protect the west of the Netherlands from invaders by means of inundation (the flooding of large pieces of land). East of the fortified town, the inundation sluice complex in the Maasdijk was therefore built. A little further on, at the Bakkerskil, such a lock will also be built: the Papsluis lock. They are special locks: impeller locks. They can open against high tide and are therefore always ready in case of imminent danger.

Kringenwet en Vestingwet: again poverty

When Woudrichem became part of the Waterlinie, the city had to deal with the circles law. This law prescribes that the field of fire (the area that weapons can reach) around a fortified town must remain free. Building within the first 1,000 meters from the edge of the fortified town is thus restricted or even prohibited. This makes it virtually impossible for the city to develop industrially and thus economically.

Woudrichem faces even more changes. The Fortification Act of 1874 orders all fortified towns to build barracks and sheds for the troops. Garrison soldiers no longer stay with families, but move to barracks. For the host families, allowances for board and lodging fell away. In addition, purchases for the soldiers' kitchens, for example, were arranged centrally. Thus a major source of income also disappeared for the town's middle class. Woudrichem was poor and would remain so until after World War II.

A stroke of luck

Of all the fortified towns, Woudrichem was one of the last to be released from its military obligations. For the people of Woerkum much too late, but for us now a stroke of luck. Cities that were allowed to get rid of their fortresses as early as the ^19th century often replaced them with more modern buildings and infrastructure. But in the early ^20th century, resistance to these practices emerged. In Naarden, which received permission to "de-fortify" as early as 1926, protests arose for the first time against the demolition of the fortifications - and with it, the destruction of the city's character and cultural heritage.

Also in Woudrichem in the 1950s, plans were initially made in which the fortified town would be rigorously demolished. But partly due to the events in Naarden, these plans were changed and new buildings were constructed outside the fortified town.

The fortified town of Woudrichem was designated a protected townscape in 1972. Since then, it has also been thoroughly restored and stabilized. Today Woudrichem is flourishing again and we can enjoy the real "atmosphere of the past". Tranquility? Yes for sure. But boring, no way!

Thanks to Jos Korthout of the City Guides Guild for sharing his extensive knowledge about "his" Woerkum.

Want to read more about the fortified town of Woudrichem?

Vesting Woudrichem (Hollandse Waterlinie Erfgoed series) - Kees van Maastricht & Teus van Tilborg

Gaandeweg Woudrichem - Job Koekkoek

Have you seen them yet?
Gnawed-off sticks?
Trees with gnaw marks?
Maybe even a gnawed tree?
The beaver is back in the Netherlands, and how. After it was released in the Biesbosch and Gelderse Poort in 1988, the population has grown considerably. And the beaver hotspot of the Netherlands? That is currently in the municipality of Altena, the Biesbosch Line that is. Between January 2018 and the end of September 2020, beavers were seen here no less than 533 times.

Hydraulic knitters

The beaver is a large rodent that prefers to live in and around water. It builds its own home: the beaver's lodge. The entrance to that lodge is underwater, safely protected from predators. Is there no water available where he wants it? A beaver does not resign itself to nothing. With its sharp, bright orange front teeth, it gnaws off branches and trees, which it uses to build dams. With these dams, he influences the water level around his lodge. He shifts the course of streams and rivers and even creates his own lakes. Dams of 150 meters long are no exception; beaver dams of 800 meters have even been found.
In the Netherlands, by the way, the beaver does not exhibit this behavior. Our country is water-rich enough for beavers to build a safe lodge without building their own Delta Works.

Family Animals

If beavers were humans, they would have had a row house, a 9-5 job and 1.7 children per family. They are true family animals. Beavers are monogamous and live in their lodge with their young. Per gestation, the beaver gives birth to 2-6 cubs. The young beavers do not leave their parental home until they are sexually mature after 2-3 years. Thus, sometimes as many as 10-20 animals live in one lodge. The beaver lodge consists of several rooms. A wet chamber, where the beaver can shake out its fur, and a dry one. This dry nest chamber is about 20 cm above water level.

Nature managers along rivers

Beavers have a considerable influence on nature in their territory. Not only do they shift the course of water, through their gnawing they also have a great influence on the biodiversity of the area. They like to eat bark, which they gnaw off trees. The trees often do not survive this in the long run. Dead trees attract insects, and those insects in turn attract birds, such as woodpeckers. Dead trees also pave the way for new vegetation. In this way, a beaver family can leave a solid mark on the landscape over time.

Not everyone is equally enthusiastic about this, by the way. The beaver builds where it wants, and that may well be in a place less convenient for people. For example, one decided to occupy a walkway with its lodge in Struikwaard for years. Beavers also sometimes dig tunnels in dikes, weakening them as a result. But in general, the arrival of a beaver is good news for nature.

Beaver hotspot Altena

In Altena, beavers live in the Biesbosch and along all the rivers. You can encounter their tracks in the floodplains Groesplaat and the Struikwaard. Find a beaver during a walk there? That's not easy, because they are shy nocturnal animals. Your best bet is to look for gnawed-off branches and gnaw marks on trees. You may be able to tell where it has been walking: its broad flat tail drags across the ground as it walks, leaving a distinct trail.

Trying your luck? Take a walk through the floodplain early in the morning or at dusk. Who knows, you might get lucky and see one of those scurrying nibblers in real life. Bring binoculars!

What prehistoric snails have to do with modern wildlife management - and how to enjoy them at Kornsche Boezem.

Have you ever found your car under a layer of fine Sahara sand first thing in the morning? Probably you paid little attention to it at the time. Maybe you just thought: and I had just washed it. Here in the Netherlands, that dust is at most a little annoying. But did you know that this dust contains important minerals for nature? And did you know that the Amazon rainforest would not exist without these flown-in minerals?

Far from my bed you might think. But Altena has just as wonderful an invisible connection to another area "far away": The Kornsche Boezem would look very different without prehistoric snails from the Belgian Kempen.

If you want to know more about the origins of the Kornsche Boezem and its connection to the Kempen, we have to 12.000 years back in time. We are going in giant leaps, so hold on tight.

Second St. Elizabeth flood: origins of the Kornsche Boezem

The second St. Elizabeth's Flood (1421) and the floods in 1423 made big holes in the dikes. That meant the end of the Groote Waard. The tides got hold of the land again. Especially in the west of the area, near the Hollands Diep, the land eroded by the incoming and outgoing water. A new delta formed. That delta is still there: the Biesbosch.

With new dikes and a new water regime, the area was then made habitable again. One of the new storage basins in this water system was De Kornsche Boezem.