Forts and water around Uithoorn

The municipality of Uithoorn is part of the Amsterdam City Region plus region. The Thamerkerk from 1835 is an iconic building in the village. This can be seen from near and far and the tower was formerly used as a landmark for travelers. The village grew up around the courthouse where the Proost held court sessions. There was a lot of peat in the area, which led to large-scale peat extraction from 1600. This created large peat pools in the area that still form a nice recreational area today. At Uithoorn you will find the Bovenlanden Nature Reserve. This beautiful area of about 470 ha has a naturally varied landscape with wet, lean grasslands, flower-rich grasslands, reed beds and meadow bird grasslands. The snipe, blue knot and Spanish rider are also doing very well in the area. Bovenlanden offers hours of cycling and walking pleasure for true nature lovers. The first attraction is the Fort aan de Drecht. This fortress is part of the Defense Line of Amsterdam and is located on the Uithoornsche Polder. The fort served to close off and defend the accesses formed by the Drecht. The fort also protected an inundation sluice that was located a little further south. About 5 km further on you will arrive at the Fort at the Kwakel. This defense work is also part of the Defense Line of Amsterdam. The fort is located near the village of the same name, De Kwakel, and was built in 1890. The purpose of the fort was to defend the eastern part of the ring dike. You will then pass the last fort on this route, the Fort at Kudelstaart. This fortress also belongs to the Defense Line of Amsterdam and is located near the village of Kudelstaart. The first work on the fort started in 1890, the last took place in 1906. Since 1972 the fort has been used as a marina for holidaying soldiers.