Since August 2021, the Biesbosch Line may call itself the home of world heritage. The Nieuwe Hollandse Waterlinie was nominated for Unesco World Heritage status. The status has been granted and from now on we join such luminaries as the Taj Mahal, the Pyramids at Giza and the Tower of Pisa.
World Heritage is heritage that is of unique and universal value to humanity. There is tangible and intangible world heritage. Intangible heritage includes the tango, for example, or closer to home: the miller's craft. Material heritage is divided into cultural (man-made) and natural. Natural heritage is, for example, the Yellowstone National Park in America. The Nieuwe Hollandse Waterlinie falls under cultural heritage.
What all these things have in common is that we regard them as irreplaceable, unique and owned by the whole world. And therefore we consider it of great importance to preserve them.
The New Dutch Waterline is a unique defense system. It is a strip of land, from Muiden to the Biesbosch, that can be flooded. In earlier times, this layer of water protected the wealthy province of Holland from invaders; it was too deep to wade through, but not deep enough to navigate. On the weak spots in the line came forts and fortresses.
The Nieuwe Hollandse Waterlinie can still be used, although it is no longer an effective defensive structure. But the vast majority of the forts and locks are still intact, and many of them can be visited. You can even stay overnight in a single fort these days.
At the end of December 2019, the National Heritage Agency delivered a report of more than 2,500 pages to Unesco in Paris. And after more than 10 years of work, that's it!
It's a hefty report, and for a reason; the Nieuwe Hollandse Waterlinie runs through four provinces, and the land is owned by dozens of landowners. Now that the line has been declared a world heritage site, the Netherlands must be able to preserve that heritage. The approach to this and the agreements about it, are laid down in this report.
In the Biesbosch Line you will find 4 forts, 2 locks, several casemates and one fortified town of the New Dutch Waterline. And can't get enough of all this beauty? The Waterlinie path takes you along the entire line. Also be sure to visit the Waterlinie Museum. The Nieuwe Hollandse Waterlinie is definitely worth a visit.