Jaap van 't Veen's photos with the keyword: Natuurmonumenten

The Watermolen Hackfort (Hackfort Watermill) is located on the estate Hackfort , close to the castle of the same name. The undershot watermill was first mentioned in the year 1442, while the current square stone building was built around 1700. The mill is equipped with a water wheel with blades and is powered by water from the Hackfortse Beek. The water wheel drives millstones to grind grain. The water mill also supplies electricity to the electricity network. In 1952 the mill was shut down due to the poor condition of the wheel and building. At that time the stream also contained too little water to power the mill. In 1981, the estate (with castle and mill) came into the hands of the Natuurmonumenten (a Dutch society for preservation of nature monuments) and was refurbished. After the water board had ensured that sufficient water flowed through the Hackfortse Beek, a new water wheel was installed in 1998. Since that moment the mill has been in use. Volunteer millers are sawing wood and grinding grain for cattle feed on hydropower. On Saturdays and on special occasions the mill is open to visitors.

The Waterloopbos - official address in Marknesse, but as a matter of fact located nearby the small village of Kraggenburg - was built in the early 1950s. It offers 35 scale models of major water works from all over the world. Of course the famous Dutch Delta Works were tested here, but also for instance the ports of Rotterdam, Lagos, IJmuiden, Istanbul and Bangkok. Testing and simulating reality by engineers of the Waterloopkundig Laboratorium was done in the 50’s and 60’s of the 20th century. The Waterloopbos is located in the Noordoostpolder, one of the many Dutch polders. As this ‘new’ land lies five metres below sea level, so water could flow naturally to the test setups without needing pumps. With the help of this flowing water plus the creation of weirs, dams and wave machines, the engineers were able to test the influences certain forces would have on their proposed constructions. No more testing has been done here for decades and in many places the models have been reclaimed by nature. The old water ducts, weirs and sluices are now full of plants and shrubs. Parts of the Waterloopbos look like a green jungle, where the forest interacts with the dated technology. One of the models - a gigantic structure of two concrete walls - has been transformed into a massive artwork: Deltawerk // .

The Waterloopbos offers 35 scale models of hydraulic projects from all over the world. Off course the famous Dutch Deltawerken were tested here. The Deltagoot (Delta flume), a gigantic structure of two concrete walls in the Waterloopbos , served as the test location. Nowadays it has been transformed into an imposing memorial to the research once conducted in these woods. In the meantime this test location has lost its original function. In 2016 it was declared a Rijksmonument (Dutch national monument). The artists RAAAF | Atelier de Lyon were then asked by Natuurmonumenten (Society for Preservation of Nature Monuments in the Netherlands) to create a massive artwork from the famous 'Delta flume'. “Deltawerk //” became its title. And massive it has become: RAAAF and Atelier de Lyon have dug out the colossal wave basin; its concrete walls now tower some seven meters over the visitors. Enormous concrete panels were sawed out of the 250m-long Deltagoot, which were turned and placed at different angles to visualise the devastating power of the water. As years go by, nature will reclaim the work of art and mosses and ferns will take over (as in the rest of the Waterloopbos ).

Nationaal Park Veluwezoom (Veluwezoom National Park) is the oldest national park of the Netherlands. It has a surface area of 50 square kilometers at the southeastern edge of the Veluwe, a complex of terminal push moraines, dating back to the Saalian glaciation (150.000 years ago). For the Netherlands the park has a pronounced relief with the highest point in the park at (almost) 110 meters above sea level. The landscape of the park - formed during the two most recent glacial periods - consists of forests, heathland and a small sand drift. The park has a large amount of heathlands. Especially the area around the Posbank - a 90 meters high hill - is one of the most popular destinations when the heather is blooming. From the top of the hill one has astounding views over the area. The Vereniging Natuurmonumenten (Society for Preservation of Nature Monuments in the Netherlands) bought the first piece of the Veluwezoom in 1911. Since then it has acquired more areas. In 1930 it became the first national park in the Netherlands. The park is freely accessible.

The history of the estates in ‘s-Graveland dates back to the year of 1625 (during the Dutch Golden Age). In that year wealthy Amsterdam merchants did get permission to cultivate an area west of Hilversum The sandy soil was excavated and transported by boat to Amsterdam, where it was used for the expansion of the city. On the way back, the ships took manure and rubbish with them to enrich the infertile soil of 's-Graveland. Initially farms were founded on the lots and leased to farmers. Later several estates were created with country houses with park-like gardens. Jagtlust is a small country estate that historically belongs to the other estates of 's-Graveland. The original farmstead is known by various names such as Het Derde Heihuis , Groot Jan and De Laetste Stuyver . It was not until 1791 that the name Jagtlust was used. Jagtlust was built on the site of a former inn De Laetste Stuyver . Originally it was a fairly simple country house. More than 70 years after the estate Heilust was added to Jagtlust , it was given its present form in 1900. The house became a second storey, a tower-like extension with a circular staircase and an adjoining orangery. Although one of the smaller estates in 's-Graveland it has a lot to offer: an impressive manor, a large vegetable garden, all kinds of follies and a number of remarkable trees. Among them a moerascipres (Bald cypress), planted around the year of 1865. This tree has a lot of remarkable cypress knees, which is very rare in the Netherlands (PiP3). A nearby tulpenboom (Liriodendron) is even some years older. This tree was struck by lightning a few years ago and will be cut down for safety reasons (PiP4 and 5) In 2006 the estate was bought by Natuurmonumenten (Society for Preservation of Nature Monuments in the Netherlands), ensuring that the manors and their gardens can retain their grandeur. Nowadays Jagtlust is one of the ten estates in 's-Graveland.

Windmill Het Noorden is an octagonal smock mill, which was built in 1878. The mill was used to drain the polder of the same name, in the northeastern part of the island of Texel. Later the need arose for a more powerful drainage system and a pumping station running on oil was added. The windmill became more and more out of operation and was shut down in 1923. The mill was repaired in 1928, but was definitively decommissioned in the 1960s for the drainage of the polder. In September 2017 the Vereniging Natuurmonumenten (Society for Preservation of Nature Monuments in the Netherlands) became the owner of the windmill, after which a thorough restoration took place. Windmill Het Noorden - an iconic building on the edge of the polder - is currently once again in use by volunteers.

Count Reinier Vincent van Hompesch owned from the year 1719 the heerlijkheid (the lowest administrative and judicial unit in rural areas in the Netherlands) Stevensweert. He wanted his own banmolen (mill soke), in which the inhabitants of the villages Stevensweert and Ohé were obliged to grind their grains, so that the count could claim a part of the revenues. The mill was built between 1721 and 1722. The Hompesche Molen is a so called stellingmolen (tower stage). From this stage (or platform) the miller could bring the sails in the right position. The mill has eight floors (called attics), including the basement, which was also used as a prison. The building is made entirely of brick and is round in shape. With a height of 37 meters it is the tallest flour mill in the province of Limburg. During the Second World War, the mill was badly damaged and could not loger used. Between 1948 and 1949 it was restored, but the mill fell into disuse again and was in a worse condition, which led to another renovation between 1975 and 1977. After that, wheat and barley were milled for years by a voluntary miller for use as cattle feed. Between 2005 and 2013 there has been a visitor centre in the outbuildings and miller's house. From 2009 a brasserie has been housed in the miller's house adjacent to the mill. In 2014 the mill became the property of the Vereniging Natuurmonumenten (a Dutch Society for Nature Conservation). In 2015 the mill was restored and made accessible to the public.

De Onlanden is a 2.500 ha nature and water storage area, which is enclosed between the sand of Drenthe and the clay of Groningen. It is a low moor area, where water from several brooks used to be stored before flowing to the sea. In earlier times it was one large peat area. Nobody could pass through it and it was unsuitable for agriculture. It was not until the Middle Ages that the first attempts to dewater the area were made. Slowly they succeeded in lowering the water level and systematically the area could be put into use; first only in the summer and from the 19th century onwards throughout the year, although sometimes the moorland was completely flooded. During the last century, the area has been fully used as pastureland. In 2004 plans were made to give the area back to nature. Nowadays it has changed into an immense wet world with grasslands, swamps, marsh forests and creeks. Brooks flow again through De Onlanden and a swamp is developing develop with naturally changing water levels. De Onlanden itself are difficult to visit, but we did find one path - Onlandsedijk - through the swamp with a lot of reed, but also with several species of flowers.

Not much is known about the origins of Huis Vennebroek (Manor Vennebroek). From 1689 to 1747 the house had the so-called right of havezate (manor or fortified house). In 1768 the manor was mentioned in an advertisement in a local newspaper. In 1848, Jonkheer Hooft van Iddekinge rebuilt the house extensively, retaining a large part of the basement and the ground floor. In 1912 the estate was bought by P.A. Camphuis, a merchant from Groningen. He was also the owner of the adjacent Friesche Veen estate; Vennebroek and Friesche Veen have formed a unit ever since. Camphuis restored the house, but did not stay there long. The manor remained in the family for a long time; the wife of his eldest son lived there until her death in 1994. Around 1985 the house and the estates became the property of Natuurmonumenten (Society for preservation of nature monuments in the Netherlands). Since 2014 the house has been privately owned and inhabited again. Huis Vennebroek is surrounded by a horseshoe-shaped moat. The estate has many old beeches and chestnuts; the oldest is more than 300 years. In the autumn the estate is known for its many species of mushrooms.

The Watermolen Hackfort is located on the estate Hackfort , close to the castle of the same name. The mill was first mentioned in the year 1442, while the current square stone building was built around 1700. The mill is equipped with a water wheel with blades and is powered by water from the Hackfortse Beek. The water wheel drives millstones to grind grain. The water mill also supplies electricity to the electricity network. In 1952 the mill was shut down because of the poor condition of the wheel and building. At that time the stream also contained too little water to power the mill. In 1981, the estate (with castle and mill) passed into the hands of the Natuurmonumenten and was refurbished. After the water board had ensured that sufficient water flowed through the Hackfortse Beek, a new water wheel was installed in 1998. Since that moment the mill has been in use. Volunteer millers are sawing wood and grinding grain for cattle feed on hydropower. On Saturdays and on special occasions the mill is open to visitors.

During our second visit to the Oisterwijk forests and fens ( Oisterwijkse bossen en vennen ) - again on a grey, gloomy day - we made a walk along the so-called Kolkvenroute (about 3.5 km's). This nature reserve is one of the Netherlands’ most unique nature reserves with 80 fens in a stunning green expanse. Unlike many other fens, the formation of Kolkven is not created by the action of wind, but by melting water of a former river. Kolkven (main image) is a lot deeper than the others, which makes it suitable for fishing. The fen is rented by a local angling club. On our route we passed three smaller fens, including the Brandven (PiP’s). This fen (“Fire Fen”) got its name because in the past its water was used as firewater. Nowadays most of the nature reserve is owned and managed by Natuurmonumenten , a Dutch society for protecting nature reserves. (for more pictures of the area see: www.ipernity.com/doc/294067/46395468/in/album/537905 )

At the end of the last Ice Age - about 10 000 years ago - an expansive area of peat bogs covered a big piece of the provinces of Drenthe, Friesland and even a piece of Germany. From the late Middle Ages of, the peat was excavated and transported with ships to the cities in the western part of the Netherlands and was used as heating on a small scale. Large-scale land clearance for agriculture between 1600 and 1900 fundamentally changed the character of the region. The rugged peat moor of Fochteloërveen (3.000 ha) and a few smaller cores was all that was left. The peat degraded and turned into earth after the peat bog was drained for tree-planting and farming. Like all Dutch peat areas the quality of the habitats, especially of active raised bog, was impoverished severely during the last decades. Now the raised bog area is one of the few bogs in the Netherlands where living peat can be found and it is even growing again. Since 1999 the hydrological conditions of the most species rich peat area of the peat bog were improved by an ingenious system of dams. It was a great surprise that, starting in 2001, cranes were breeding in this area. They were the first breeding cranes in the Netherlands since the 18th century. Nowadays also the number of non-breeding cranes in summer is increasing. The nature reserve has a couple of walking and cycling paths and a lookout tower with breathtaking views over the area. It is owned and managed by Natuurmonumenten , a Dutch society for nature conservation.

Oisterwijk is well known for its Bossen en Vennen , located south of the village. It is an area of 410 hectares with forests and dozens of fens. These fens were created during the last ice age by heavy southwestern winds, blowing sand away. The created bowls were later filled with rainwater. Because of loamy or primal (iron) layers, the water remained in the bowls, creating fens in a bare landscape. The forests around the pools have been planted since the nineteenth century. Most of the nature reserve is managed by Natuurmonumenten , a Dutch organisation founded in 1905 that buys, protects and manages nature reserves in the Netherlands. I took this pictures on a grey day at the Groot Aderven , one of the many fens.

Eighteenth-century Nijenburg, located between Alkmaar and Heiloo, is a manor in the woods of Heiloo and surrounded by typical Dutch meadows. Since 1928 the estate is owned by the Dutch nature preservation organisation ’Natuurmonumenten’. Manor and carriage house are transferred to the ‘Vereniging Hendrick de Keyser’. The estate is located on an elevation of the former shoreline of the North Sea. The surrounding grasslands - due to excavations - are a lot lower. Nijenburg estate was owned for centuries by the families ‘Van Egmond van de Nijenburg’ and ‘Van Foreest’. In the year of 1705 ‘Gerard van Egmond van de Nijenburg’ built the current manor in the classic Dutch style with plain brick facades, using the remains of an older building on this site.In the 19th century the building became its white plaster. Since then the house has the romantic look of a rural location in the green.

‘De Wieden’ is a large marsh wetland in the northwest of the province of Overijssel. This part of the National Park ‘Weerribben-Wieden’ is managed by the Dutch nature reserve organisation ’Natuurmonumenten’. ‘Wieden’ are man-made lakes by the excavation of peat. If one doesn't touch marsh wetland (swamp), it will gradually transform into land again. In order to maintain variety in the area’Natuurmonumenten regularly digs new holes, just like the peat diggers used to do. Nowadays ‘De Wieden’ is one of the most important lowland peat wetlands of Western Europe.

The castle is dating back to the 13th century; the fortified tower is the only part of the original building which survived a severe fire in 1525. The castle was rebuilt in its current form in the early 17th century and much later (1973 and 1981) restored. It is now owned by ‘Vereniging Natuurmonumenten’ - a Dutch society for preservation of nature monuments. Around the year of 1200 the castle came into the possession of Floris IV, Count of Holland. In 1229 the castle went to the Lords of Zierikzee, through an exchange with Floris IV. The new inhabitants of the castle called themselves ‘Van Haemstede’. The most famous resident was ‘Witte van Haemstede’, an illegitimate son of Count Floris V. In the mid-15th century his descendants got into financial troubles. ‘Louis de Gruuthuse’, a Flemish nobleman from Bruges, became the new owner of Castle Haamstede. Slot Haamstede is situated in the heart of the village of Haamstede on the former island Schouwen-Duiveland. The castle itself is only open for visitors during special events. The castle woods are free accessible.