Nieuwkoopse Plassen

The Nieuwkoopse Plassen is a nature reserve of 1400 hectares in South Holland near the towns of Nieuwkoop, Noorden, and De Meije. Over 1000 hectares of this is owned by the Society for Nature Conservation. The lakes were formed in the 16th century due to the peat extraction of the area.

Close to the village street of the linear village Nieuwkoop, which borders the lake area on the northwest side and is attractive to tourists because of the typical peat workers' houses, lie two very extensive and relatively shallow peat lakes, the Noordeinderplas and the Zuideinderplas. From the linear village De Meije near the water tower Het Potlood to Nieuwkoop, a cycling path, the Meijepad, runs through the Zuideinderplas, with a wooden bridge (kwakel) in the middle to allow shipping from one part of the lake to the other.

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