Hardenberg, Bergentheim, Marienberg

‘Not wide, not grand, but matchless,’ Dalfsen native Koos Geerds wrote about his beloved Vecht. And that's the nail in the coffin, because as soon as this little rainwater river meanders across the German border into our country, it shows itself in all its splendour. Nature takes and gives, stretches of bank disappear and river sand is deposited again after high tide. A dynamic river it is.

Until the beginning of the last century, the Vecht meandered a lot and had many more bends and kilometres as a result. And then man intervened. The rainwater river was straightened, shortening its length by 25 kilometres. Bends in the river became dead Vecht arms and weirs were constructed to ensure that the river did not empty. This also killed shipping from Hardenberg.

In summer, a sloop or yacht sometimes sails, but it used to be different. Until well into the 19th century, the Vecht played an important role in shipping. All the bricks from The Palace on Dam Square passed here, is a common saying here. But that transport was trouble in summer time. The river had an irregular draught, which meant water levels could be extremely low during that period and shipping was sometimes at a standstill for weeks at a time. Dams were also raised in the river by the boatmen. As soon as enough water was collected, they would cross the dam and could sail a little further until the bottom was reached again.

Since 1998, eyes have been opened among administrators. During prolonged rainfall, the river was bursting its banks and Vechtdal residents had wet feet. Under the banner ‘Room for the Vecht’, they set to work and are still busy connecting old but also new Vecht arms to the river. This will create more storage capacity in case of extreme rainfall in the Netherlands and Germany. As a result, some more kilometres are being secretly added, but the crews of pleasure yachts need not fear a long trip like in the past. The 25 kilometres of loops and bends will not return. And holidaymakers on the boat are totally zen, because ‘in the Vechtdal you have all the time.’



This Premium cycle route was put together by our editor: Max de Krijger.