Giethoorn, Ossenzijl and Blokzijl

The Wieden and the Weerribben together form one of the most important wetland areas in Europe. With 35 square kilometers of open water, reed lands and swamp forests, De Weerribben is a natural habitat for many bird, mammal and insect species. This polder area has been extensively excavated in history due to peat extraction. This has created extensive reed fields and flowery hay fields. Water, lots of water, in the form of gorges, lakes, ponds, canals and fens stimulates the growth of special plants. The swamps are densely vegetated and here you will encounter, among other things, pine clubmoss, swamp clubmoss, blond sedge and slender cotton grass.

Water lilies, crabgrass or water hemlock grow and bloom on the ponds, fens and lakes, but you also see large masses of the carnivorous plant bladderwort floating. In the reedlands, where the soil acidifies quickly, colorful fireweeds, skullcap, bindweed and marsh buckthorn stand out. Where the soil has acidified, heather, peat moss, sundew and marsh leaf grow and the forests consist largely of alder, birch and rowan.

Fish eaters such as the cormorant, the curlew and the black tern get their food from the waters of De Wieden, but other birds of prey also hunt here. The marsh harrier and the rare short-eared owl make their prey on the quaking moors, blue grasslands and bogs, and deer, foxes and otters also survive on what the Weerribben has to offer them. A wide variety of butterflies and dragonflies flutter from plant to plant in the watery, boggy environment and complete the color palette. For more information, visit the De Weerribben Nature Activities Center, where you can learn more about the area in a fun way. Or climb the observation tower for breathtaking panoramas.

Giethoorn also guarantees you a nice outing. The village, which has less than 3,000 inhabitants, is nicknamed 'Dutch Venice'. It is known for its picturesque appearance: cute bridges run over waterways where punts float. The ditches and canals were dug around houses, so that the peat from the area could be properly removed. The peat extraction created ponds and lakes and the digging of the waterways created individual islands on which the houses of the residents of Giethoorn were built. The punts, which are controlled and propelled by the punt boom, complete the picture and are strongly reminiscent of the gondolas that serve as the main means of transport in Venice.

Mill Giethoorn Molengat is a beautiful polder mill that you can view in the village. The tjasker was built in 1979 and, despite being a municipal monument, is located on private property. The mill can only pump the water from the mill hole, the small lake from which it takes its name. The mill is almost entirely made of wood, including the rods. They are decorated in an old Dutch style.

Please note: the ferry in Jonen, between junctions 51 and 52, does not operate between November 1 and 52. and March 31.