De Weerribben I National Park

Open water, reed lands, swamp forests... It is not without reason that De Weerribben won the title 'Most Beautiful Place in the Netherlands' in 2004. The Weerribben are covered with beautiful plants and a variety of special animal species live in this area. The carnivorous bladderwort often floats in large masses on the fens, lakes and ponds, but crabgrass, water lilies and water hemlock also thrive here. In the reed land you will encounter cheerful colors of scrub herbs, including fireweed, skullcap, marsh buckthorn and bindweed, while grasses, heather, peat moss, sundew and marsh sera leaves grow on acidifying reed land. Mammals that you see roaming through the swamps and fields are deer, foxes and otter. In addition, various butterflies and dragonfly species flutter from plant to plant and the purple heron, black tern, bittern, reed warbler, reed warbler and oriole chase in and around the water. The Weerribben cover no less than 35 square kilometers, part of which is used for reed cultivation. Where this is not managed and controlled, swamp forests with alder, rowan and birch develop. Even with intensive maintenance, the soil acidifies and extensive peat bogs are formed. The bustling town of Blokzijl, where the cycle route starts at the Tourist Transfer Point, takes its name from the defensive role it was assigned during the Eighty Years' War. Blokzijl means 'fortified lock' and played an important role in 1581 during battles with the Spanish. From the 17th century the town became increasingly important and in 1672 Blokzijl obtained city rights. Due to its favorable location, there has always been a lot of activity in Blokzijl. The town had a good trading position because a lot of peat was dug in the area, which could be shipped by water.