| | Ankeveen is situated in the centre of a major nature conservancy area, a fen marsh area. Fen marshes in the Netherlands are mainly man-made. Their origin lie in the extensive peat digging in the past, in the low-lying parts of the country (remember, about half of the Netherlands is below sea level). The tidal flat area of the Rhine delta developed extensive reed marshes and bogs, that created thick layers of reed peat (as opposed to spagnum peat, which develops in oligotrophic conditions). From ca. 1000 AD onwards, local inhabitants in the Delta started digging this peat for fuel. Many towns that developed in such areas still show the characteristic 'strip building' layout, where all houses are situated on a central road, usually a dyke. The expoited fen areas run perpedicular to this dyke. Overexploitation and digging peat from under the water table led to the characteristic 'petgaten' landscape, where narrow strips of land, used for drying peat, alternate with wide water-filled ditches. Storms and other types of severe weather frequently destroyed the 'legakkers' (the strips of land), converting the overexploited areas into shallow lakes and fens. The map of Ankeveen shown to the left gives a good impression of such a landschape. Ankeveen sports several picturesque sites as well as an extensive fen wetland area. Here we'll show you some of our better photographs of Ankeveen. Some pictures of Dammerkade. Spring along the river Vecht. Vroeg en laat. | | |
