Cycle route World Heritage | Beemster Polder
Middenbeemster, Zuidoostbeemster, Westbeemster
Known for its cheese and polders: the Beemster Polder. It is the region between Purmerend, Alkmaar, Hoorn and Amsterdam. The landscape has been below sea level for over four hundred years. The ring dyke protects the polders from the water. Before the Beemster became as we know it today, it was a lake, the Beemster Lake, surrounded by a very wet peat landscape. A solid, 42-kilometre-long dike was built around the lake in 1612, surrounded by a ring canal. The lake was then drained using more than 40 mills, under the direction of the engineer aptly named Leeghwater, which created the polders. The layout of the Beemster completely fulfils the guiding principles of the time: order, regularity and harmony. You can see this in the straight grids that the meadows, roads and ditches form together, like a big green patchwork quilt. It's like cycling in a Mondrian painting! Immediately after the polders were drained, rich merchants bought pieces of land to build beautiful homes. This way, they could escape the hot, dirty city in summer and enjoy the peace and space here. Did you know that the names given to the streets in 1612 are still the same street names as today? Back then, people also drew the villages on a map under the name Middel, Noort, West and Zuydt Beemster. Instead of Zuydt Beemster, it became Zuidoostbeemster, the other three still exist under - roughly - the same name. This region surprises you with a rich history and culture, including many forts and windmills. Along the dead straight cycle paths, you will come across many cheese-cover farmhouses. This is where most of the 'stolp' farms in the Netherlands are located. Thanks to their wide pointed roofs, they are also called the pyramids of the polder. Cows graze peacefully in the polder meadows. The soil of the polders proved to be very fertile after reclamation. Moreover, the soil has a specific salty taste, which you can taste in the Beemster cheeses. So be sure to pop into a farm shop or restaurant to taste the artisanal local produce. Arranging the land as they did in the 17th century is a textbook example of how the Dutch reclaimed large parts of the country. The whole area is therefore also called 'Droogmakerij De Beemster'. Under this name, it is known as a UNESCO World Heritage Site. Be sure to take a look at the Visitor Centre in Middenbeemster to learn all about this beautiful area!
| Directions | Distance | Total distance | |
|
Start: Middenweg , 1462 KP Purmerend | 34.7 KM | |
|
From
6
to
43
|
5664 M | 5.7 KM | |
| Head south on Middenweg | 169 M | ||
| Make a slight left | 1.7 KM | ||
| Turn right onto Volgerweg | 1.9 KM | ||
| Turn left onto Jisperweg | 1.9 KM | ||
| You are now at section 43 | 0 M | ||
|
From
43
to
46
|
3871 M | 3.9 KM | |
| Head southeast on Zuiddijk | 3.9 KM | ||
| You are now at section 46 | 0 M | ||
|
From
46
to
5
|
3560 M | 3.6 KM | |
| Head north on Nekkerweg | 3.6 KM | ||
| You are now at section 05 | 0 M | ||
|
From
5
to
4
|
2032 M | 2 KM | |
| Head east | 1.7 KM | ||
| Turn left onto Kwadijkerweg | 341 M | ||
| You are now at section 04 | 0 M | ||
|
From
4
to
9
|
2052 M | 2.1 KM | |
| Head northeast on Oostdijk | 2.1 KM | ||
| You are now at section 09 | 0 M | ||
|
From
9
to
8
|
2496 M | 2.5 KM | |
| Head west on Hobrederlaan | 817 M | ||
| Turn right onto Purmerenderweg | 390 M | ||
| Turn left onto Hobrederweg | 1.3 KM | ||
| You are now at section 08 | 0 M | ||
|
From
8
to
7
|
1878 M | 1.9 KM | |
| Head west on Hobrederweg | 1.9 KM | ||
| You are now at section 07 | 0 M | ||
|
From
7
to
29
|
5044 M | 5 KM | |
| Head northeast | 1.9 KM | ||
| Turn left onto Oosthuizerweg | 3.2 KM | ||
| You are now at section 29 | 0 M | ||
|
From
29
to
61
|
4184 M | 4.2 KM | |
| Head south on Westdijk | 4 KM | ||
| Make a slight left | 37 M | ||
| Turn right | 117 M | ||
| You are now at section 61 | 0 M | ||
|
From
61
to
6
|
3964 M | 4 KM | |
| Head east | 3.4 KM | ||
| Make a slight left | 280 M | ||
| Turn left | 9 M | ||
| Turn right onto Rijperweg | 243 M | ||
| You are now at section 06 | 0 M |