The Waaltje (common name; Dutch for Little Waal) is a dammed river in the western Netherlands, southeast of Rotterdam. Historically it used to be the western end of the Waal river, hence its official name continues to be the Waal, although the intermediate Waal sections, the Boven Merwede, Beneden Merwede, and a subsection of the Noord, have long changed their names.
The Waaltje marks the border between the Zwijndrechtse Waard, formerly a separate island, and the historic Island of IJsselmonde. Ever since this section of the Waal was dammed, IJsselmonde also encompasses the Zwijndrechtse Waard (see map to the right).
The Waaltje runs from Hendrik-Ido-Ambacht, along Oostendam, through Rijsoord, and along Barendrecht to Heerjansdam. In Heerjansdam it now connects to the Oude Maas through a pumping station. In 1332 William I, Count of Hainaut had the Waal dammed at Oostendam. The Waaltje connected to the Noord through the old port of Ambacht and a lock that enabled riverboats to pass the Oostendam until the 20th century. Since then, no sailing connection is available.
More recently, the old port of Ambacht has also been dammed on the northeast side, transforming it into another enclosed section of the old Waal.
The Waaltje is crossed by a highway, the A16, the railway between Rotterdam and Dordrecht, the HSL and the Betuweroute. The A15 runs between the A16 and the Noord to the north of the Waaltje.
Along the eastern bank of the Waaltje in Heerjansdam, between the clubhouse of the business association and the restaurant, volunteers from among others the environmental association Heerjansdam created an educational nature trail named Waalpad. Other walking trails along the Waaltje can be found in Hendrik-Ido-Ambacht, along the Kerkstraat and between Oordenweg and Jaapgpad. Nature development Wevershoek in Barendrecht also offers opportunities to walk along the Waaltje.
The Waaltje is managed by the water board Hollandse Delta. Its waters are on the clear end. It is used for boating, [1] amateur fishing, [2] diving, swimming [3] and ice skating. [4]
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.
IJsselmonde is a river island in the Netherlands, between the Nieuwe Maas, Noord and Oude Maas branches rivers of the Rhine-Meuse delta in the province of South Holland. The city of Rotterdam now occupies most of the northern part of the island and includes the eponymous former village of IJsselmonde, once a separate community. The island was once a rich agricultural region but is mostly suburbs today. Only the mid-south parts of the island have retained their agricultural character.
Alblasserdam is a town and municipality in the western Netherlands, in the province of South Holland. It covers an area of 10.06 km2 (3.88 sq mi), of which 1.28 km2 (0.49 sq mi) is water, and has a population of 20,136 as of 2021. Alblasserdam is officially a part of the Drechtsteden region. A portion of the small village of Kinderdijk, which boasts the largest and most famous concentration of windmills in the Netherlands, is part of Alblasserdam.
Heerjansdam is a village in the western Netherlands, in the municipality of Zwijndrecht, South Holland. It has a population of 3,590.
Hendrik-Ido-Ambacht is a town and municipality in the western Netherlands. It is located on the island of IJsselmonde, and borders with Zwijndrecht, Ridderkerk, and the Noord River.
Ridderkerk is a town and municipality in the western Netherlands, in the province of South Holland. The municipality had a population of 46,671 in 2021 and covers an area of 25.26 km2 (9.75 sq mi) of which 1.54 km2 (0.59 sq mi) is covered by water.
Zwijndrecht is a town and municipality in the western Netherlands. It is in the province of South Holland, at the southern tip of the island of IJsselmonde, and at the confluence of the rivers Oude Maas, Beneden-Merwede, and Noord.
The Boven Merwede is a stretch of river in the Netherlands, mainly fed by the river Rhine. The Afgedamde Maas river joins the Waal at Woudrichem to form the Boven Merwede, which at Hardinxveld-Giessendam splits into the Beneden Merwede river on the right and the Nieuwe Merwede river on the left. Its length is 8.8 km (5.5 mi). The Merwede is part of the main shipping route between Rotterdam and Germany.
Voorne-Putten is an island between the North Sea, the Brielse Meer and the rivers Oude Maas, Spui and Haringvliet in the province of South Holland. Voorne-Putten consists of the two former islands Voorne and Putten. It used to be separated by the river Bernisse which silted up, uniting the two islands. It has 160,000 inhabitants (2008). Recently the riverbed has been dredged, and the two islands have been reformed.
Oostendam is a Dutch village. It is located in the municipality of Ridderkerk, within the province of South Holland.
ASWH, short for Altijd Sterker Worden Hendrik-Ido-Ambacht, is an association football club from Hendrik-Ido-Ambacht, Netherlands. The club was founded in 1929. It won section championships in 1949, 1959, 1961, 1970, 1883, 1999, 2001, 2002, 2005, and 2024. In 2005 ASWH also won the Dutch Championship of Amateur Soccer and the Dutch Championship of Saturday Soccer. Ascending gradually through the ranks, ASWH played 2019–2022 in the semi-professional Tweede Divisie. In 2023, it joined the Vierde Divisie, after relegating twice for the first time in the club's history. In 2023–2024, ASWH operates 70 teams in competitions.
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, in which a waterway that appears to be one continuous stream may have numerous separate names for different sections, e.g. Rhine → Bijlands Kanaal → Pannerdens Kanaal → Nederrijn → Lek → Nieuwe Maas → Het Scheur → Nieuwe Waterweg. Since the Rhine contributes most of the water, the term "Rhine Delta" is commonly used, although this name is also used for the delta where the Alpine Rhine flows into Lake Constance. By some calculations, the Rhine–Meuse–Scheldt delta covers 25,347 km2 (9,787 sq mi), making it the largest in Europe.
Rotterdam Lombardijen is a railway station in the Dutch city of Rotterdam, located on the Breda–Rotterdam railway between Rotterdam and Dordrecht. The railway station is located in the borough of IJsselmonde. The station opened on 1 June 1964 with wooden platforms and no more than a trailer for ticket sales. On 12 September 1968 a station building was opened; the current station building dates from 1996. Train services are operated by Nederlandse Spoorwegen.
Barendrechtse Voetbalvereniging Barendrecht, commonly known as BVV Barendrecht, is a football club from Barendrecht, Netherlands. The club was founded on 12 February 1926 and plays its matches at Sportpark de Bongerd. With more than 2,000 members, Barendrecht is one of the largest amateur clubs of the Netherlands in membership.
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.
De Brave Hendrik was a fine dining restaurant in Hendrik-Ido-Ambacht, Netherlands. It was awarded one Michelin star in 1990 and retained that rating until 1996.
Jack B. van den Berg is a Dutch football manager and a former player. While coaching ASWH, he won the 2005 national amateur championship and the 2006 Rinus Michels Award for managers in nonprofessional leagues. During a long stint at BVV Barendrecht Van den Berg became a full-time coach. In 2015–2016 he coached the first squads of two small town rivals, promoting both ASWH to the Saturday Derde Divisie and IFC to the Sunday Hoofdklasse. From February until October 2018 he coached VV Katwijk, winning a Tweede Divisie championship.
Ido's Football Club, usually known as IFC, is a Dutch association football club from Hendrik-Ido-Ambacht. Its grounds are at Sportpark Schildman.
Sportpark Schildman is a municipal park and sports complex in Hendrik Ido Ambacht, Netherlands. It contains the main grounds, training fields, and facilities for:
{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link)Door aanhoudende felle kou was het vorige week al mogelijk om de ijzers onder te binden, maar nog niet eerder in tien jaar is het voor gekomen dat zelfs ijs het Waaltje bedekte. [...] De verwachting is dat tot tenminste maandag (12/1) het ijs schaatsbaar blijft.