The Zijl

In Leiden, the Zijl branches off from the Oude Rijn in a northerly direction at the place where the Rhine-Schie Canal begins in a southerly direction. In the southern half of its course, the river forms the municipal border between Leiden and Leiderdorp. In the southernmost part, both the Leiden west bank and the Leiderdorp east bank are completely built up. North of the Driegatenbrug, the eastern bank merges into the open grassland of the Boterhuispolder, which still belongs to Leiderdorp. North of the Leidse Merenwijk, the Zijl is entirely on Warmond's territory (municipality of Teylingen). On the eastern bank runs the Zijldijk, a road that dead ends for traffic.

On the west side of the Zijl lies the remainder of the Broek and Simontjespolder beyond Leiden on Warmond's territory, followed by the island of De Strengen with its long northern spur Tengnagel (which is only a few tens of meters wide). On the west side of Tengnagel lies 't Joppe, one of the busiest Kagerplassen. Beyond the northern tip of Tengnagel, the Zijl is in open connection with 't Joppe. A few hundred meters further, at the northern tip of the Boterhuispolder and the Kaagsociëteit, the Zijl flows together with the Zijp (which comes from the southeast) into the Kager plas Zweiland.

In summer, a foot ferry sails across the Zijl from the Zijldijk to the Broek and Simontjespolder in the Kagerzoom, just above the Leidse Merenwijk.

The Zijl existed partly as a tidal creek when the Rhine near Katwijk was still in open connection with the sea, more than 1,000 years ago. In the 12th century, that estuary silted up and the Rhineland suffered from regular flooding due to the lack of proper drainage. It was then decided to excavate the existing creeks Zyl and Does to the north so that the excess water could be drained to the Kagerplassen and the Haarlemmermeer (then a real lake) and from there to the Spaarne and the IJ. A partnership of 15 craftsmen on both sides of the Oude Rijn took on this task around 1200. The digging and maintenance of these waterways could only be successfully carried out by regional coordination. An organization was formed that inspected the works and imposed maintenance obligations on the crafts. In this way, the later Water Board of Rhineland was created.

A fortified residential tower or castle from around 1300 was formerly located on the eastern bank of the water and was called Huys Ter Zijl, later called Zijlhof, and was the ancestral home of the Van Zijl family. This castle was demolished in the 18th century.

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