Wormer, West Graftdijk and Purmerend Forts love

The beautiful Laag Holland National Landscape is a natural and cultural-historical highlight. The area of 51,400 hectares is bursting with polders, peat meadows and many waters that attract water birds. A typical characteristic and typically Dutch image that you will often see are the cows in the grassy meadows. The National Landscape also contains many forts of the Defence Line of Amsterdam, which is on the UNESCO World Heritage List. The nearby island of Marken has retained its characteristic costumes and old houses and is therefore an important cultural heritage, but there are also other protected village views in the area. The fort at Spijkerboor was mobilized during the First World War, but has also had other purposes. For example, the fortress served as a prison for conscientious objectors and a number of prominent NSB members, but a number of political delinquents were also imprisoned here. The fort is located in a nature reserve and is surrounded by a poplar forest and a deciduous forest, where various bird species breed. The Fort on Jisperweg, like the other forts you will encounter during this bike tour, is also part of the Defence Line of Amsterdam. Because the sand with which the terrain is reinforced contains a lot of lime, you will see a different type of flora here than at the other forts: the rare field horn flower, heron's beak and swan flower grow here. The fort is only opened to visitors once every five years, but is also worth a look from the outside. The Fort on Middenweg is only two kilometres away from the previous fort. This fort still looks impressive and has a beautiful retractable dome with artillery and machine gun positions in the front wall. In the past, these could be reached via protected, covered corridors. Much of the original installation can still be seen in the main building. This fort gives you a good impression of how the forts of the Defence Line of Amsterdam were built and furnished. The entire defense line was built between 1880 and 1914 and had dozens of forts. The next fort on the route is the Fort aan de Nekkerweg, also called Fort Beemster. This fort has unique water reservoirs and a water de-ironing facility and is still used for water collection. Originally there were no plans for a fort at this location and the Fort aan de Nekkerweg was only added to the Defense Line of Amsterdam later. The fort was put into use in 1912, although the year 1913 is mentioned on the facade. The fort was used as a prison in the period between 1918 and 1921, but also at the end of the Second World War and in 1946. From 1951 to 1982 it served as a warehouse for explosives and in 2011-2012 the fort was finally converted into a luxury wellness center. The Fort at Kwadijk was originally called the Battery in the Polder Zeevang but was also known locally as an unfinished fort. The fort has been poorly preserved; since 1962, only the access road, a fort guard's house and a shed have remained. The shed has been used as a dumping ground since 1969, making the Fort at Kwadijk the most damaged fort of the Defence Line of Amsterdam. You arrive at the Fort north of Purmerend. The fort and the associated buildings were built in the period from 1886 to 1912. This fort also served as a prison: in 1945, suspects and convicts of collaboration with the German occupiers were held here. In 1981, the fort was given a new purpose and the buildings are used by a wine importer. You cycle out of Purmerend and just outside the city limits, the Nekker mill is the last sight on your route. This mill was part of a gang, which consisted of two scoop mills in total and was later expanded. Of the original mill gang, only this mill has survived history, because it was situated at a favourable point in the polder that also had to be drained later.