Cycling through the polders of Etten-Leur

Between the polders of Etten-Leur, west of Breda, you can look far out over the meadows. Etten-Leur was created in 1968 from the ribbon villages of Etten and Leur, which grew together. At that time, they were the only residential areas in the municipality and were therefore merged. Outside the built-up area you drive between fields and fields, along streams and small watercourses. You also cross the Mark river. The route leads you to the Zwartenberg mill, a round stone ground sailor from 1889 that replaced a burned down mill from 1721. As a replacement, they actually wanted to build a steam pumping station, but because the insurance payment would be more favorable when building a windmill, the polder mill was built. Nowadays, the Zwartenberg mill drains the polder on a voluntary basis and can move a maximum of 80 cubic meters of water per minute. Anyone who wants to see it and know more about the mill can make an appointment or visit the mill on the 1st and 3rd Saturday of the month. The Lady Chapel that you see almost four kilometers away is one of the four Lady Chapels in Etten-Leur. The chapel was built in 1934 on behalf of the Raaijmakers family and was solemnly blessed in May of that year. The bluestone relief, which depicts Mary with her child, was made by Mr Raaijmakers himself. When a cycle path was constructed, the chapel moved to its current location in 1988. You cross the heart of the relatively young Etten-Leur. As a final stop, before the banks of the Mark river come into view and you cross the water, the De Toekomst mill is on the route. The round stone belt mill was used to grind grain. The building dates from 1862. The mill was restored in 1968-1969, but at the end of 2007 the mill was closed down due to the poor condition of the jibs. The mill is now operational again.