The Bijlands Kanaal (Bijland Canal) is a canal in the Dutch province of Gelderland, near the Dutch-German border. It is currently by far the most important river-stretch of the Rhine when that major river enters the Netherlands.[ citation needed ]
It was dug between 1773 and 1776 to cut off a large bend in river Waal to improve water regulation. This bend, and comparable waters, are currently only minor streams. They are known as the minor Oude Waal and De Bijland, and the larger Oude Rijn. The, more or less, defunct flows now only serve one purpose: to function as a buffer zone between the free flowing Waal and Nederrijn on one side and the abandoned stream-beds on the other side. The defuncts streams are shallow waters for most of the time and serve as an important spawning ground for all kinds of fish (since they remained connected to the main river through small creeks). [1]
However, in times of extreme high water-levels the 'dead' waters spring to life again, as the result of artificial overflow-devices. From time to time, the Oude Waal and De Bijland can temporarily taste the freedom of a free-flowing river. The area surrounding the 'dead' rivers is known for its historical significance and is a relic of a type of historical dyke landscape that is becoming more and more rare in the Netherlands. [2]
The Bijlands Kanaal is part of the extensive reconstruction works that Gelderland, then a semi-independent state within the federation of the Dutch Republic, undertook to better regulate water flow around the Rhine-Waal fork. It is named after Castle De Bijland, which had been destroyed by the river Waal circa 1750. In addition to the Bijlands Kanaal, the Pannerdens Kanaal is part also part of the same river regulation system. Both canals cut off shallow and slow-moving bends in the river Rhine, now known as the Oude Waal and De Bijland. Although both waters are called "Kanaal" (English: canal) they are now an indistinguishable part of the river and both lost all characteristics of an artificial structure. The area surrounding both the main rivers Waal and Rhine, and the mostly defunct abandoned streams, are all part of the extensive nature restoration project known as the Gelderse Poort. [3]
Nowadays, the canal is of enormous importance to Rhine navigation, being part of the main Rhine waterway and the first section of the Waal-Rhine fork.
The Meuse or Maas is a major European river, rising in France and flowing through Belgium and the Netherlands before draining into the North Sea from the Rhine–Meuse–Scheldt delta. It has a total length of 925 km.
The Rhine is one of the major European rivers. The river begins in the Swiss canton of Graubünden in the southeastern Swiss Alps. It forms part of the Swiss-Liechtenstein, Swiss-Austrian, and Swiss-German borders. After that the Rhine defines much of the Franco-German border, after which it flows in a mostly northerly direction through the German Rhineland. Finally in Germany, the Rhine turns into a predominantly westerly direction and flows into the Netherlands where it eventually empties into the North Sea. It drains an area of 9,973 sq km and its name derives from the Celtic Rēnos. There are also two German states named after the river, North Rhine-Westphalia and Rhineland-Palatinate.
Batavia is a historical and geographical region in the Netherlands, forming large fertile islands in the river delta formed by the waters of the Rhine and Meuse rivers. During the Roman empire, it was an important frontier region and source of imperial soldiers. Its name is possibly pre-Roman.
The Waal is the main distributary branch of the river Rhine flowing approximately 80 km (50 mi) through the Netherlands. It is the major waterway connecting the port of Rotterdam to Germany. Before it reaches Rotterdam, it joins with the Afgedamde Maas near Woudrichem to form the Boven Merwede. Along its length, Nijmegen, Tiel, Zaltbommel and Gorinchem are towns of importance with direct access to the river.
Gelderland, also known as Guelders in English, is a province of the Netherlands, occupying the centre-east of the country. With a total area of 5,136 km2 (1,983 sq mi) of which 173 km2 (67 sq mi) is water, it is the largest province of the Netherlands by land area, and second by total area. Gelderland shares borders with six other provinces and the German state of North Rhine-Westphalia.
The IJssel is a Dutch distributary of the river Rhine that flows northward and ultimately discharges into the IJsselmeer, a North Sea natural harbour. It more immediately flows into the east-south channel around the Flevopolder, Flevoland which is kept at 3 metres below sea level. This body of water is then pumped up into the IJsselmeer.
The Afgedamde Maas is a former distributary of the Maas River in the Dutch provinces of North Brabant and Gelderland. The Maas splits near Heusden with one channel flowing north until its confluence with the river Waal to form the Merwede, while the other channel continues west as the main distributary of the Maas.
Nederrijn is the Dutch part of the Rhine from the confluence at the town of Angeren of the cut-off Rhine bend of Oude Rijn (Gelderland) and the Pannerdens Kanaal. The city of Arnhem lies on the right (north) bank of the Nederrijn, just past the point where the IJssel branches off. The Nederrijn flows on to the city of Wijk bij Duurstede, from where it continues as the Lek. The once-important but now small Kromme Rijn branch carries the name "Rhine" towards the city of Utrecht.
The Pannerdens Kanaal is a canal in the Netherlands that was dredged between 1701 and 1709 to cut off a large, shallow bend of the river Rhine and so improve river traffic and water regulation.
Oude Rijn is the name of a long former bend in river Rhine in the Dutch province of Gelderland.
The Oude Rijn is a branch of the Rhine delta in the Dutch provinces of Utrecht and South Holland, starting west of Utrecht, at Harmelen and runs by a mechanical pumping station into the North Sea at Katwijk. Its present-day length is 52 kilometres.
Angeren is a village in the municipality of Lingewaard, Gelderland province, Netherlands. It has a population of 2,851, and is located in the very eastern tip of the Betuwe, 2 km to the south of Huissen, between the cities of Arnhem and Nijmegen.
Pannerden is a village in the Dutch province of Gelderland. It is located in the municipality of Zevenaar.
The Rhine–Meuse–Scheldt delta is a river delta in the Netherlands formed by the confluence of the Rhine, the Meuse and the Scheldt rivers. In some cases, the Scheldt delta is considered a separate delta to the Rhine–Meuse delta. The result is a multitude of islands, branches and branch names that may at first sight look bewildering, especially as a waterway that appears to be one continuous stream may change names as many as seven times, e.g. Rhine → Bijlands Kanaal → Pannerdens Kanaal → Nederrijn → Lek → Nieuwe Maas → Het Scheur → Nieuwe Waterweg. Since the Rhine contributes most of the water, the shorter term Rhine Delta is commonly used. However, this name is also used for the delta where the Alpine Rhine flows into Lake Constance, so it is clearer to call the larger one Rhine–Meuse delta, or even Rhine–Meuse–Scheldt delta, as the Scheldt ends in the same delta. By some calculations, the delta covers 25,347 km2 (9,787 sq mi), making it the largest in Europe.
The Oude Maas is a distributary of the river Rhine, and a former distributary of the river Maas, in the Dutch province of South Holland. It begins at the city of Dordrecht where the Beneden Merwede river splits into the Noord and the Oude Maas. It ends when it joins the Nieuwe Maas to form Het Scheur.
Schenkenschanz is a small community in North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany that was incorporated into the town of Kleve (Cleves) in 1969. Schenkenschanz is site of the former Schenkenschans fortress that was of significance in the Dutch Revolt.
Tolkamer is a village near Lobith in the municipality of Zevenaar in the province of Gelderland, the Netherlands. The village is on the border with Germany.
The Battle of Puiflijk occurred on 19 October 1794 in the Land van Maas en Waal region of the Netherlands during the Flanders campaign of the War of the First Coalition against Revolutionary France.
The Drongelens Canal is a drainage canal that runs from 's-Hertogenbosch to Drongelen in North Brabant. The colloquial Dutch name, and the name used on street signs is Drongelens Kanaal. The official Dutch name is Afwateringskanaal van 's-Hertogenbosch naar Drongelen.