Montfoort, Nieuwegein and Lopik

Open meadows and small forests; the small-scale landscape of the Lopikerwaard is charming. Farmers got their coppice from the coppices and their property boundaries consist of natural elements. The hedgerows had a dual function, because convenience wood was also obtained from them. However, the Lopikerwaard was not always the sea of meadows that now stretch as far as the eye can see. Originally, this was a marshland, the exploitation of which only started in the eleventh century. Waterways and ditches were constructed and contracts were concluded to divide the plots according to fixed dimensions. In this way, the area was gradually transformed until the current structure became visible.