Cycling route through the bulb fields near Anna Paulowna

This route takes you through the Anna Paulownapolder, one of the last polders created with private funding. The salty soil wasn't really suitable for agriculture, but it was suitable for the flower bulb cultivation that was introduced here in 1915. This region now comprises some 5,000 hectares of horticultural land, making it the largest contiguous bulb-growing area in the world. The harbor in Van Ewijcksluis offers a beautiful view of Lake Amstel, and further on, you'll pass the Leonide, built in 2002. The building resembles a traditional sawmill, but it never served a milling function: it's a residential building. Oudesluis was once a port for VOC ships, but the construction of the Anna Paulownapolder cut it off from the Zuiderzee in 1845. The route ends at Eetcafe De Witte Brug.