Forts and water around Uithoorn

The municipality of Uithoorn is part of the plus region Stadsregio Amsterdam. The Thamerkerk from 1835 is an iconic building in the village. This can be seen from far and wide 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 peat extraction on a large scale from 1600 onwards. This created large peat lakes 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 poor grasslands, flowery grasslands, reed beds 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 pleasure for real 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 off and defend the accesses, which were formed by the Drecht. The fort also protected an inundation sluice slightly to the south. Less than 5 km away you will arrive at Fort bij de 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 then pass the last fort on this route, the Fort at Kudelstaart. This fort 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 military personnel.