Zuid-Kennemerland National Park

Zuid-Kennemerland Nature Park IUCN Category II - National Park
Dune landscape in the national park
location	North Holland , Netherlands
surface	38 km²
WDPA ID	331643
FFH area	35.68
Geographical location	52 ° 25 '  N , 4 ° 35'  E Coordinates: 52 ° 25 '15 "  N , 4 ° 34' 56"  E
Setup date	1995
administration	Cooperation between various state administrations

The South Kennemerland National Park ( Dutch National Park Zuid-Kennemerland ) - also called Kennemerduinen - is located on the Dutch North Sea coast in the province of North Holland west of the city of Haarlem and between IJmuiden in the north and Zandvoort in the south. The national park is characterized by a natural dune landscape, which continues to the south as the Amsterdamse Waterleidingduinen .

Protected position

The national park in its current extent was placed under protection in 1995 and covers an area of ​​38 km². The landscape is characterized by high dunes. But there are also forests with an old oak population and dune lakes with a rich bird population. Due to the drinking water supply, the area dried out more and more until the water supply was stopped in 2003.

Maintenance measures

In order to keep the dune vegetation in its condition, Konik horses , Shetland ponies and Scottish highland cattle are used for grazing. Other areas must be mowed for this purpose and kept clear of the bird cherry .

Flora and fauna

Rare plant species such as heart leaf and orchids can be found in the national park. Other typical plant species near the sea are the beach wind and beach thistle . Rarer animal species are u. a. the sand lizard , the natterjack toad and the nightingale . Also bee-eaters have already taken one breeding attempt here. In a fenced area of ​​300 hectares (Kraansvlak), 24 bison of the lowland line have lived since 2007 (as of 2013), most of which were born there. They are supposed to protect the dunes from being completely covered with bushes and at the same time use their solution to fertilize the barren sandy soil in order to restore a broad and original range of plants and insects . The attempt has so far been successful. This means that the first bison have been living there again for many centuries, even if so far only with limited freedom. The site can be viewed from a freely accessible observation tower.

history

Coastal battery Heerenduin, IJmuiden an Zee

In parts of the national park, archaeological finds of early settlements in the area have been made.

In the north near IJmuiden an Zee, a district of Velsen, numerous bunkers for the Atlantic Wall were built by the Organization Todt on behalf of the German Wehrmacht during the Second World War . The ruins, such as B. the Heerenduin bunker , today some are Rijksmonumente , can be entered and in IJmuiden there is a bunker museum.

In the dunes near Bloemendaal , a total of 422 Dutch people were executed at various locations during the Second World War for acts of resistance by the German occupying forces . 372 victims were reburied in the newly built Bloemendaal cemetery of honor and memorial stones at the execution sites commemorate the deeds.

Web links

Commons : National Park Zuid-Kennemerland  - Collection of images, videos and audio files

• National Park Zuid-Kennemerland on the website of the Vereniging Natuurmonumenten (Dutch)
• Bloemendaal Cemetery of Honor website (Dutch)

Individual evidence

1. ↑ ^{a b} Notes on the park's homepage (Dutch) ( Memento from March 4, 2016 in the Internet Archive )
2. ↑ Report on a breeding attempt by the bee-eater, accessed on December 20, 2019 ( Memento from June 5, 2016 in the Internet Archive )
3. ↑ ARK Natuurontwikkeling (2013). Wisentengroep Kraansvlak in vijf jaar tijd verviervoudigd. Retrieved December 20, 2019.
4. ↑ De Eerebegraafplaats te Bloemendaal (Dutch) ( Memento from June 30, 2017 in the Internet Archive ), accessed on December 20, 2019.