Forts and water around Uithoorn

The municipality of Uithoorn is part of the Amsterdam City Region plus region. The Thamer Church from 1835 is a landmark building in the village. This can be seen from far and wide and the tower was previously used as a landmark for travelers. The village grew up around the courthouse where the Provost held court hearings. There was a lot of peat in the area, which led to large-scale peat extraction from 1600 onwards. This created large peat ponds in the area that still form a nice recreational area today. Near Uithoorn you will find the Bovenlanden Nature Reserve. This beautiful area of approximately 470 hectares has a naturally varied landscape with wet, sparse grasslands, flower-rich grasslands, reed fields and meadow bird grasslands. The snipe, blue knot and Spanish horseman also do very well in the area. Bovenlanden offers hours of cycling and walking fun for true nature lovers. The first attraction is the Fort on the Drecht. This fort is part of the Defense Line of Amsterdam and is located on the Uithoornsche Polder. The fort served to close and defend the accesses formed by the Drecht. The fort also protected an inundation lock located a little further south. About 5 km further you come to the Fort bij de Kwakel. This defense work is also part of the Defense Line of Amsterdam. The fort is located near the village of De Kwakel of the same name and was built in 1890. The purpose of the fort was to defend the eastern part of the ring dike. You then pass the last fort on this route, the Fort at Kudelstaart. This fort is also part of 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.