Loosdrechtsche Plassen
The Loosdrechtschen Plassen ( Dutch Loosdrechtse Plassen ) are a group of lakes in the municipalities of Wijdemeren and Stichtse Vecht . The water is supplied from the Utrechtse Heuvelrug . Originally this area was a swampy landscape. To drain the area, drainage ditches were dug to the rivers Vecht and Drecht nearby. In the resulting fen, the peat was removed in the 16th century. This was laid out to dry on narrow strips of land. These stripes are still clearly visible today. (see image)
In the 17th and 18th centuries it was dredged down to the groundwater and large bodies of water were created. Due to the influence of the wind, the peat disappeared and a sea area gradually emerged. Today's recreational areas were created in the 20th century.
At the beginning of the 20th century the water was clearer, which today contains a lot of sludge. The reason for this was the increase in algae. Due to the shallow depth, the silt can easily be blown up. Even after lowering the phosphate load, the increase in the number of aquatic plants has not recovered. The mud collects in the basin. This affects the passage for ships and the water quality for swimming.
At the end of the 1990s, the Loosdrechtse Plassen project was started to deal with the above-mentioned deficiencies.
Sport and recreation
The European long-distance hiking trail E11 , which is also known locally as the Marskramerpad , runs along the south side of Loosdrechtschen Plassen . The E11 long-distance hiking trail runs from The Hague from this point in an easterly direction to the Poland / Lithuania border .
Coordinates: 52 ° 11 ′ 51 ″ N , 5 ° 4 ′ 7 ″ E