Sallandse Heuvelrug National Park

Last updated
Sallandse Heuvelrug National Park
Nationaal Park Sallandse Heuvelrug
Sallandseheuvelrug gr.jpg
Panorama of the Ridge of Salland
NP-SallandseHeuvelrugKaart.jpg
Map of the National Park
Location Overijssel, Netherlands
Nearest city Nijverdal, Holten
Coordinates 52°20′N6°25′E / 52.333°N 6.417°E / 52.333; 6.417
Area35 km2 (14 sq mi)
Established2004
Governing body Staatsbosbeheer, Natuurmonumenten
www.sallandseheuvelrug.nl

Sallandse Heuvelrug National Park is a national park in the Dutch province of Overijssel, located between the townships of Hellendoorn and Holten. In 2004, the Dutch Government changed the status of the area to National Park. The park is mainly managed by Staatsbosbeheer, Natuurmonumenten and the water company Vitens. In addition, several small private owners are involved in the management, as well as regional communities and stakeholders.

Contents

The National Park is located in its entirety south of the N35 (Zwolle-Almelo), and encapsulates Haarlerberg, Holterberg, Noetselerberg and Koningsbelten. The park covers an area of approximately 35 square kilometres. Its highest point is the Koningsbelt, standing 75 metres above Normaal Amsterdams Peil (NAP).

Landscape and history

The Sallandse heuvelrug is a moraine, created in the second-last glaciation, Saalien, 150,000 years ago. During the Holocene forests started to develop, but after the growth of the human population, these forests had been cut. From the Middle Ages onwards the area was used for grazing by sheep and goats, and the upper layer of the soil was removed to use it as fertilizer for the crop fields. In this period, the area became a heathland because of sand-drifting. In the beginning of the 20th century the state started forestry programs, to prevent this erosion and to produce pine wood. The area is well known for its scenery because of its relatively large heathlands.

Trees at the Sallandse Heuvelrug Tussen Holten en Nijverdal, bomen in de Sallandse Heuvelrug IMG 5686 2020-05-31 10.16.jpg
Trees at the Sallandse Heuvelrug
Trees at the Sallandse Heuvelrug Tussen Holten en Nijverdal, bomen in de Sallandse Heuvelrug IMG 5699 2020-05-31 10.33.jpg
Trees at the Sallandse Heuvelrug

Vegetation and wildlife

Lingonberry or cowberry (Vaccinium vitis-idaea) Vaccinium vitis-idaea (2005 09 18).jpg
Lingonberry or cowberry ( Vaccinium vitis-idaea )

Most characteristic features of the national park are the relief and the heath lands. Cranberry growths in large numbers. We also find the last Dutch population of the black grouse (Tetrao tetrix), European nightjar (Caprimulgus europaeusnightjar), and several lizard species, such as the viviparous lizard (Zootoca vivipara).

Management

The management of the area encounters several serious problems. One of the problems is to keep the heath in its present condition and to prevent the growing of trees and grasses. The management organizations use sheep and cows to graze. To prevent disturbance, some parts of the park are closed for visitors and the road through the park is closed at night.

Sightseeing

Located on the Holterberg is the Holten Canadian War Cemetery, [1] one of the largest military cemeteries in the Netherlands, in which soldiers killed during World War II are buried. The Commonwealth War Graves Commission maintains the graves of the Canadian soldiers buried at this cemetery. The cemetery contains 1393 graves and is accessible to the public.

At Twilhaar (on the Nijverdalsche Berg), you'll find remnants of old civilisation, and a sheep pen, as well as the Memorial for Labour Camp Twilhaar. [2] This memorial was revealed in Oct 2003, along the Paltheweg, Nijverdal. The memorial is dedicated to the men transported from this camp in 1942 to camp Westerbork; almost all of them were murdered at Auschwitz.

Education and recreation

Within the park Staatsbosbeheer has a visitor centre, within which a public observatory is located. The visitor centre is located in the municipality of Nijverdal along the N35. The visitor centre hosts a permanent interactive exhibition on the history of the Sallandse Heuvelrug. Excursions are accessible for people with mobility impairments through the use of an electro car or horse tram. Along the two-kilometre trail located close to the visitor centre, there are numerous activities for children to participate in.

The park contains numerous bushwalking, cycling, mountain biking trails, as well as riding routes. It is an important area for long distance walking and biking and there are many campsites, restaurants, and hotels.

Near Holten is a museum for natural history, Natuurdiorama Holterberg.

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Overijssel</span> Province of the Netherlands

Overijssel is a province of the Netherlands located in the eastern part of the country. The province's name translates to "across the IJssel" -- from the perspective of the Episcopal principality of Utrecht, which held the territory until 1528. The capital city of Overijssel is Zwolle and the largest city is Enschede. The province had a population of about 1,184,000 as of January 2023. The land mostly consists of grasslands and some forests ; it also borders a small part of the IJsselmeer to the west.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Hellendoorn</span> Town and municipality in Overijssel, Netherlands

Hellendoorn is a municipality and town in the middle of the Dutch province of Overijssel. As of 2019, the municipality had a population of 35,808.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Ashdown Forest</span> Natural area in East Sussex, England

Ashdown Forest is an ancient area of open heathland occupying the highest sandy ridge-top of the High Weald Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty. It is situated some 30 miles (48 km) south of London in the county of East Sussex, England. Rising to an elevation of 732 feet (223 m) above sea level, its heights provide expansive vistas across the heavily wooded hills of the Weald to the chalk escarpments of the North Downs and South Downs on the horizon.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Lüneburg Heath</span> Landform in Lower Saxony, Germany

Lüneburg Heath is a large area of heath, geest, and woodland in the northeastern part of the state of Lower Saxony in northern Germany. It forms part of the hinterland for the cities of Hamburg, Hanover and Bremen and is named after the town of Lüneburg. Most of the area is a nature reserve. Northern Low Saxon is still widely spoken in the region.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Chobham Common</span> Location near Chobham, Surrey, of a British tank research centre

Chobham Common is a 655.7-hectare (1,620-acre) biological Site of Special Scientific Interest north of Chobham in Surrey. It is a Nature Conservation Review site, Grade I and a national nature reserve. It is part of the Thames Basin Heaths Special Protection Area and the Thursley, Ash, Pirbright and Chobham Special Area of Conservation. It contains three scheduled monuments. Most of the site is managed by the Surrey Wildlife Trust as the Chobham Common nature reserve, but the SSSI also includes a small private reserve managed by the Trust, Gracious Pond.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Holten</span> Town in Netherlands, Netherlands

Holten is a village in the municipality of Rijssen-Holten in the Dutch province of Overijssel. Holten is located in a forested area just south of the Holterberg, a 65-metre (210 ft) hill, and is part of the Sallandse Heuvelrug National Park. The National Park is the only area in the Netherlands in which the black grouse can be found. This grouse population is on the brink of extinction, so parts of the National Park are closed to the public during its breeding season.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Hooghalen</span> Village in Drenthe, Netherlands

Hooghalen is a village in the municipality Midden-Drenthe, in the Dutch province Drenthe. In Drenthe it is also called Hoal'n or Hoalen , but then people often mean the entire area, with the neighborhoods Laaghalen, Laaghalerveen and Oosthalen.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Nijverdal</span> Town in Overijssel, Netherlands

Nijverdal is a town of approximately 25,000 inhabitants in the Dutch province of Overijssel. It is the commercial centre and largest town within the municipality Hellendoorn.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Mousehold Heath</span> Area of heathland and woodland in Norwich, England

Mousehold Heath is a freely accessible area of heathland and woodland which lies to the north-east of the medieval city boundary of Norwich, in the English county of Norfolk.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Faßberg</span> Municipality in Lower Saxony, Germany

Faßberg is a municipality in the district of Celle, in Lower Saxony, Germany. It is situated approximately 35 km north of Celle, and 30 km west of Uelzen.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">De Zoom–Kalmthoutse Heide Cross-Border Park</span>

De Zoom–Kalmthoutse Heide Cross-Border Park is a cross-border park on the Belgian–Dutch border. It is a merger of two former parks, the Kalmthoutse Heide(Kalmthout Heath) in Belgium and De Zoom in the Netherlands, together extending over 37.50 square kilometres (14.48 sq mi). A very large part of the park is covered with heath.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Highgate Common</span> Protected area in Staffordshire, UK

Highgate Common is a Staffordshire Wildlife Trust reserve containing a mix of heathland and woodland. It is about 116 hectares or 286 acres in size. The common is a popular leisure destination and a Site of Special Scientific Interest, located in Southern Staffordshire, England.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Strabrechtse Heide</span>

The Strabrechtse Heide is a natural heathland area about 1500 ha in size, located in the municipalities of Heeze-Leende, Someren and Geldrop-Mierlo, in North Brabant, the Netherlands. It is largely under the care of Staatsbosbeheer. In July 2010, around 200 hectares of the area were damaged or destroyed in a wildfire that took over a week to put out.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Dwingelderveld National Park</span> National park in Drenthe, Netherlands

Dwingelderveld National Park is a national park of the Netherlands in the province of Drenthe, founded in 1991. The park covers about 37 km2 (14 sq mi) and is mainly managed by the State Forest Service (Staatsbosbeheer) and the most important Dutch private nature management organisation Natuurmonumenten. It is the largest wet heathland of Western-Europe. Dwingelderveld is also designated as a Natura 2000-area.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Drents-Friese Wold National Park</span> Protected area in the Netherlands

The Drents-Friese Wold National Park is a national park in the Dutch provinces of Friesland and Drenthe, covering more than 61 km2 (24 sq mi), founded in 2000. It consists of forests, heath lands and drift-sands.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">De Maasduinen National Park</span> Protected area in the Netherlands

De Maasduinen National Park(duinen = dunes) is a national park in the Dutch province of Limburg, founded in 1996 and covering approximately 4500 ha. The landscape consists of forests and heathlands on a sandy plateau along the river Meuse close to the German border. The estate 'de Hamert' is the heart of the park. Until 1998 the national park was called 'De Hamert' after this estate. The present name is derived from the parabolic dunes which date from the last glaciation.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Utrechtse Heuvelrug National Park</span> National park in the Netherlands

Utrechtse Heuvelrug National Park is a national park in the Dutch province of Utrecht. It covers the southern part of the Utrecht Hill Ridge. When it was founded in 2003 the park covered 6,000 ha of heathlands, shifting sands, forests, grass lands and floodplains. In 2013 the park was extended to 10,000 ha, adding the area north of highway A12 when the ecoduct Mollebos was realized. The most striking landscape feature is the glacial ridge after which the park is named.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Cartierheide</span> Nature reserve in the Netherlands

Cartierheide is a natural landscape area in the south of the Netherlands in province North Brabant located close to the Belgian border in the natural region called The Campine . On the other side of the border is Belgium's first national park, Hoge Kempen.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Suffolk Coast National Nature Reserve</span>

Suffolk Coast National Nature Reserve is a wildlife reserve on the North Sea coast of the English county of Suffolk. It is located around the village of Walberswick to the south of the town of Southwold. The reserve was designated in 2003, combining the existing Walberswick National Nature Reserve with reserves at Dingle Marshes and Hen Reedbeds to create a 1,340 hectares reserve.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Dartford Heath</span>

Dartford Heath Common is an area of open heathland situated to the south-west of Dartford, Kent, England, that covers around 314 acres (127 ha) of open space. Dartford Heath is classified as lowland heath and is one of only two substantial heathland blocks remaining in Kent. The heath supports a number of rare plants and invertebrates, as well as reptiles, including the common lizard and slow-worm, and rabbits.

References

  1. "Canadese Begraafplaats Holten". www.canadesebegraafplaatsholten.nl.
  2. "Memorial Labour Camp Twilhaar - Nijverdal (Hellendoorn) - TracesOfWar.com". www.tracesofwar.com.

Commons-logo.svg Media related to Sallandse Heuvelrug at Wikimedia Commons