Veluwe
Veluwe | |
---|---|
Region | |
Area | |
• Total | 912 km2 (352 sq mi) |
Website | https://www.visitveluwe.nl/ |
The Veluwe (Dutch pronunciation: [ˈveːlyu.ə] ⓘ) is a forest-rich ridge of hills (1100 km2; 420 sq. mi.) in the province of Gelderland in the Netherlands. The Veluwe features many different landscapes, including woodland, heath, some small lakes and Europe's largest sand drifts.
The Veluwe is the largest
Originally the Veluwe was surrounded by a string of swamps, heavily populated with game such as deer and wild boar because these areas offered rich vegetation to feed on. Since the 1990s many plans are underway, or have already been implemented, to restore these wetlands by blocking the drainage systems built by farmers during the last 150 years. This results in very dry heathland changing into wetland within a span of just a few hundred metres (yards). The Wisselse Veen near the village of Epe, on the northeastern Veluwe, offers a good example of this.[citation needed]
Etymology
Veluwe derives from Proto-Germanic *falwaz (pale, fallow) and *awjō (island).
Geography
There are 21 municipalities in the Veluwe region: Apeldoorn, Arnhem, Barneveld, Brummen, Ede, Elburg, Epe, Ermelo, Harderwijk, Hattem, Heerde, Nijkerk, Nunspeet, Oldebroek, Putten, Renkum, Rheden, Rozendaal, Scherpenzeel, Voorst and Wageningen.
The sparsely populated, infertile Veluwe acts as the traditional linguistic boundary between Low Franconian dialects (i.e. essentially Dutch and closely related dialects) to the west and south and Low Saxon dialects further north and east.[3]
Flora and fauna
There are both
Developments
Parts of the Veluwe that have been separated from each other by roads, towns and farmland are being reconnected by returning farmland to nature and creating wildlife crossings over highways. In 2012, nine of these overpasses had been built, each one about 50 metres (200') wide and covered with sand and vegetation to encourage animals to use it.[4] Wildlife corridors connecting the Veluwe to other wildlife areas such as the Oostvaardersplassen in the Netherlands are being developed and further connections to Germany are an option.[5] It is hoped that by doing so the genetic diversity of the wildlife population will increase.
In order to turn the entire Veluwe into one
Tourism and recreation
The Veluwe is a tourist destination, especially for Dutch people wanting to go on a short vacation in their own country. Campsites and bungalow parks are the preferred place to stay for most visitors.[citation needed] There are more than 500 of these sites, most located on the outskirts of the natural area.
Tourist attractions in the area include four zoos, over 50 museums including the
References
- ^ Martens, Anne (April 30, 2008). "Stuwwal". Geologie van Nederland. Geologie van Nederland. Retrieved December 5, 2019.
- ^ Nederlands Etymologisch Woordenboek - J. de Vries
- ^ Confer these maps: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Low_Franconian#/media/File:Niederfr%C3%A4nkisch.png and https://de.wikipedia.org/wiki/Westf%C3%A4lische_Dialekte#/media/Datei:Dialekte_in_Nordrhein-Westfalen.PNG
- ^ (in Dutch) Province of Gelderland, factsheet wildlife crossings
- ^ L. Verbeek; A.E. Bliek-de Jong (October 2010). "Oostvaardersland. Strengthening biodiversity and the economy in the Netherlands" (PDF). Presentation at the Convention on Biological Diversity, Nagoya, Japan. Archived from the original (PDF) on 17 October 2014. Retrieved 20 August 2013.
External links
- Veluwe Tourist Information (in English)