Travel Tips

Few times per year, the river Rhine's water multiplies by added rainwater or the yearly melting snow of the Alps. This last is not that spectacular, but when it falls together with heavy rains in the riverarea of the Rhine and all it's siderivers, waters raise against the tops of our dikes and tension rises wether they will hold when the highwaters take more then a few days to pass. In 1995 3/4 of the riverlands were evacuated (350.000 people and almost 1.000.000 animals) and the whole world was watching how our dikes only just managed to hold back the raging riverwater of Rhine, Waal, IJssel and Maas. Leaving a ghostarea in the endangered region, without people, cars, animals ... For me personally the tension roose in the last few days, when we were attached to the radio/TV day and night to keep updated weather Arnhem South also had to evacuate or not. If so, it would have ment that all furniture etc. had to be replaced to the first and second level of our house, after we had to move to friends outside the riverlands.

The get some stress from the dikes that had to keep the waters for over a weak and so started to be drained with water (which weakens the dikes substantially), few areas were appointed overflow-lands. The dikes of the Ooijpolder (East of Nijmegen along the river Waal and Rhine into Germany) were delibaretely broken and several small villages and farmhouses came under a few metres of water. Sacrificing few to safe many. Now-a-days we know that the future will see more often these threatening highwaters and are reckoning with them by creating more (completely emty) overflowlands. When nature needs the space, better cooperate.

When the riverwater is appr. two to three meters above the land behind the dike, it is only a matter of time when the water starts overcoming the dike through the groundwaterlevel, that raises with the pressure of the watermasses in the riverbed. Cellars start to get wet and fields are drenshed with water. It reminds us that The Netherlands originally is one big swamp.

Before everyone calls us idiots to be living in such a dangerous area: Normally it is not so dangerous, yet very impressive how natures seasons reflect in the waters of the rivers. The river raises some metres and in arnhem swallows the natural reserve-area "Meijnerswijk". Where you usualy were walking through bushes, high grass and fields ... then everything is swallowed by the darkbrown muddy water.

In the last decades the Dutch forget about their natural wet environment. Some towns started building on innerdike lands or in other too low places outerdike. These areas were the first to be hit by the highwaters and now-a-days the opposit is happening. More and more land is given back to the rivers angry moods. Still, and there always have been, Dutch farmhouses that are situated in the riverlands, but are built on a "terp" (a small hill). They become totally isolated during highwater and flooded when it gets as extreme as in 1995.

Some farms are traditionaly built in the riverbeds, where throughout the year juicy grasses are being grazed upon by their cows. In my own neighborhood there are some examples of houses that every year suddenly become isolated and the people who live there have to turn in their cars for a boat. Near Huissen, the nieghborhood "Loo-veer" even has a amfibious busservice in these highwater-times to get people in and out the riverbed.

When you're at the right time in The Netherlands (can't predict when, but mostly in autumn, winter or early spring) you should experience this most Dutch thing. Go to the dikes and watch on one hand the water against the dike, while on the other side on a lower base, the houses are situated.

Most of the time the river Rhine and it's green fields on either side where cows and sheep are grazing peacefully and ships are passing by on their way to destinations far away. Villages and towns situated on this famous river from Switzerland until the Northsea. One of them is my hometown: my beloved Arnhem.