The Betuwe

When you say Betuwe, you immediately think of fruit. Many apples, pears and cherries are grown in the Betuwe. This is due to the favorable location and soil conditions of the region. The Betuwe has the best agricultural land in the Netherlands. The origin of the name Betuwe is the result of discussions. One idea is that Betuwe means "good soil". On the other hand, Veluwe means "bad ground". Another idea is that the name is derived from the Batavians, who would have considered the Betuwe to be their heartland. The oldest mention of Beusichem is a copy from the end of the 11th century. The text is about possessions of St. Martin's Church in Utrecht and reads:"insulam... iuxta Buosinhem qui propior ville Riswic\\\". There is a nice linguistic translation of the name Beusichem.'Chem\\\' is derived from'hem\\\', which means place of residence in Old Dutch.'Beuse\\\' is a corruption of Boso, a personal name, which in Old Germanic means'enemy\\\'. We cycle further along the Lek river. This Dutch river is the continuation of the Nederrijn from Wijk bij Duurstede. The river is 62 kilometers long. The Lek is connected to other waterways via the Amsterdam-Rhine Canal and the Merwede Canal. We also pass the Spijck Wine Estate and the Marienwaerdt Heerlijkheid Marienwaerdt Estate and its castle are very beautiful. 3 kilometers after Fort Everdingen you cycle past Fort Werk aan het spool. This is part of the New Dutch Waterline. It was built in the period 1816-1824 and was intended to protect the fan lock. Together with Fort Everdingen, the polder near Culemborg could be flooded as protection against the enemy. Fort Everdingen is also part of the New Dutch Waterline. It is a tower fort and was built between 1842 and 1847. At the fort you will find 3 locks. These were used for the inundation of the polder between the Diefdijk and Culemborg. River Linge is a Betuwe river with a length of 100 km, making it the longest entirely Dutch river. It is a tourist attraction because there are many fruit orchards along the river. The intersection with the Amsterdam-Rhine Canal is remarkable. Here the river disappears under the canal.