Travel Tips

For us the most nearby "park" of Arnhem is the national reserve riverlands park "Meijnerswijk" which belongs to a chain of nature reserves along the rivers Rhine and Waal in total called the "Gelderse Poort" (= Gelderland Gate). These parks are all in the inner dike area or riverbed and are one or two times a year floaded by high waters of the river. This creates a very specific flora, which on it's turn again attracts it's own special fauna. Especially a wide variation of (water)birds come and feed on these grounds.

The trees, bushes and other plants have similar that they all can stand enormous amounts of water on their own way. Some are completely floaded, such as the grasses and certain polder plants. It's anyway amazing in what beautiful vaiety they blossom throughout spring and summer, setting the riverlands in a bright pallet of colours. The trees are strong and many types of willows are found here.

Enormous amounts of birds seek the wetlands of the nature reserve. Especially huge groups of many types of gooses, ducks and other waterbirds. Some are here permanent, others pass by on their yearly flights North and back South again. The riverlands are also popular nesting grounds. Among the most visible animals in the park is surely the "wild horses" and the "wisent" cows and bulls. They graze on the long grasses and maintain a natural balance within the park.

Archeological findings have prooven that this area of Arnhem belongs to the oldest inhabited of the town. Left overs of a Roman castellum have been found as well as the fundaments of some early medieval houses, that proove that a settlement must have been here. Some stories and literature refer to it as "Meginhard". Obviously the constant returning floadings must have made an end to this settlement, especially when dikes appeared and there were much safer places to live on the other side of them. The furtile soils could anyway be used for the mayority of yearround production of especially grass (for animal feed) and fruits (apples, pears, cherries). There are still some applaetrees surviving that must have been put here centuries ago.

Some specific structures are visible within the riverlands park. A long complex with doors can be seen already from the dike that offers entrance to the park. Furthermore there are bunkers with canons still present in the landscape, now however overgrown by grass and bushes. These works belonged to the "IJssel" defense line that was created after the second worldwar to hold back a possible Eastern attack (from Germany) in the 20st century. The memories of the Nazi cowardous invasion of the neutral Netherlands in May 1940 was the trigger to this project. The system never functioned. By putting this blockade in the Lower Rhine, the lands could be floaded intentionally (innundation). The advance would be stagnated, while proceeding over water would be made impossible by the canons that safeguarded passage by water.

From the most recent period is the huge factory shaped building in the middle of the nature reserve. This is one of many abondaned stone baking factories in the Lower Rhines valley. In the 20st century dozains of them were operational in the riverlands of the Netherlands producing billions of stones for the whole of North Western Europe. The riverclay in these neighborhoods was excellent material for backing the typical Dutch red bricks, that one still can see in many neighborhoods of Dutch towns and villages. However in the second half of the 20st century the demand on bricks shrunck (due to the use of more and more concrete) and one by one the factories were closed down. only few are still operational, for example the one near Doorwerth (on the other side of the river).

Most specific is that the park now-a-days forms the centre of the town Arnhem. While walking here it is hard to imagine that the two halfs of the Gelderland capitol are immediately on either side of you. About 55.000 people live Southwards and another 60.000 to the North. With the Arnhem future expansion towards the village of Driel (the "Schuijtgraaf"), the park will become even more the centre of town, which actually is one of the most attractive items of my hometown: the enormous amounts of green nature surrounding and within it.

In this album and the next a few more pictures of this wonderful park: Riverlands nature park "Meijnerswijk" of the "Gelderse Poort" national reserve.