Hoeksche Waard - Hoeksche Waard

The Hoeksche Waard is one of the South Holland Islands. It is a rural area consisting of sixty polders and has the status of National Landscape.

There are no cities in the Hoeksche Waard. The largest place on the island is Old Beijerland with over 23,000 inhabitants. Other places include Numansdorp, Struggle and 's-Gravendeel.

Info

The Hoeksche Waard is separated from the Spui by the Spui Voorne-Putten, by the Oude Maas of IJsselmonde (the island on which a.o Rotterdam-South) and through the Dordtsche Kil of the Island of Dordrecht. The wide Haringvliet and the Hollands Diep form the barrier to Goeree-Overflakkee and mainland North Brabant. The Vuile Gat forms the division with the island of Tiengemeten in the southwest.

In Roman times the Maas flowed where the Binnenbedijkte Maas (Binnenmaas) is now located. At right angles to this, the Striene flowed in a north-south direction through the area. The current Hoeksche Waard was created after 1421 when the St. Elisabeth flood flooded the area and drastically changed the waterways in the delta area. Before that, the eastern part belonged to the Groote or Hollandsche Waard, and the western part to the former island of Putten. After this flooding, only the Munnikenland and Sint Anthoniepolder polders and a few dikes remained. In the Sint Anthoniepolder there is still a small church that was built between 1300 and 1400. The name Hoeksche Waard is derived from the craftsmanship Hoecke, the present day Puttershoek.

The dykes of the Hoeksche Waard mainly took place between 1538 and 1653. In the following century and a half, some buntings were added along the Haringvliet and the Hollands Diep. In the last 200 years, the size of the island has not changed much. Only along the Hollands Diep some strips have been reclaimed.

The Hoeksche Waard is located on the border of the river area and the delta, which is under the influence of ebb and flow. As a result, it can be regarded as one of the South Holland Islands, but also as worth it. The Hoeksche Waard consists of approximately sixty polders. There are five ring polders; the Sint Anthoniepolder (1357), the Munnikenpolder (1411), the Heinenoordse polder (1437), the Oud Korendijk polder (1439), and the Oud-Piershil polder (1524). All other polders are linked to these old polders. The Eendrachtspolder from 1653 was the last large polder to be diked. In the centuries that followed, only narrow strips of land were diked, mainly along the Haringvliet and the Hollands Diep. Almost all dikes are still present in the landscape of the Hoeksche Waard.

Arrive

By public transport

There are no trains in the Hoeksche Waard. Various bus lines depart from Rotterdam to the Hoeksche Waard, mainly from metro station Zuidplein. There are also several bus lines to and from Dordrecht station. There are also bus connections with Goeree-Overflakkee and Willemstad in Noord-Brabant.

By car

The A29 highway runs straight through the Hoeksche Waard. Rotterdam and North Brabant and Goeree-Overflakkee can be reached in a northerly direction via this road.

The Hoeksche Waard can be reached from Dordrecht via the Kiltunnel. However, a toll has to be paid for this. There is also a ferry connection between Nieuw-Beijerland and Hekelingen on Voorne-Putten.

By boat

In addition to the car ferry to Hekelingen just mentioned, there are various pedestrian/bicycle ferries:

• Rhoon - Old Beijerland - Spijkenisse
• Puttershoek - Zwijndrecht
• Strijensas - Moerdijk (only in the summer months)
• Numansdorp - Willemstad (only in the summer months)

The island of Tiengemeten can only be reached by ferry. This ferry departs from Nieuwendijk near Zuid-Beijerland. In the summer months there are also ferry connections from Tiengemeten to Stad aan 't Haringvliet on Goeree-Overflakkee and to Hellevoetsluis and Middelharnis on Voorne-Putten.

Travel around

By bus

Bus transport in the Hoeksche Waard has been carried out by Connexxion since 1 January 2016. Public transport connections are not always optimal.

By car

In addition to the A29 motorway, the most important connection in the Hoeksche Waard is the provincial road N217. This starts at the ferry at Nieuw-Beijerland and then goes past Oud-Beijerland and connects to the A29 at Heinenoord. The road continues along Maasdam and 's-Gravendeel and further through the Kiltunnel to Dordrecht where it connects to the A16.

In the Hoeksche Waard many roads run over dikes.

By bike

In the Hoeksche Waard there is a cycling network. Between Puttershoek and 's-Gravendeel, part of the Meuse and Fortress Route.

on foot

It Floris V-pad partly runs through the Hoeksche Waard. Furthermore, the Hoeksche Waards Landschap association has set out various walking routes. There are several nature reserves.

Language

Hoekschewaards is a Dutch dialect that is related to IJsselmonds and West-Alblasserwaards. It is increasingly influenced and supplanted by Rotterdam and Standard Dutch.

To look at

Mills

There are 12 windmills in the Hoeksche Waard, of which the following 8 can be visited:

• Landzigt, South Beijerland
• The Lily, Puttershoek
• The mill of Goidschalxoord (between Heinenoord and Oud-Beijerland)
• Poldersche Molen, Sint Anthoniepolder (near Maasdam)
• Simonia, Piershilo
• De Swaen, New Beijerland
• Windlust, Goudswaard
• Windlust, Westmaas

To do

To buy

Food

Going out

Safety

Contact

all around

This is a usable article. It contains information on how to get there, as well as the main attractions, nightlife and hotels. An adventurous person could use this article, but dive in and expand it!