LOOSDRECHTSE AND VINKEVEENSE PLASSEN

Already in the Middle Ages, peat was extracted in the Dutch-Utrecht peat area to serve as fuel. From the 16th century, peat was the most important fuel next to wood. Especially the cities that needed energy for their growing industry were major customers.
Initially, peat was cut from the higher peat cushions. By 1530, peat mining had progressed to the point where groundwater levels were reached in many places. From that moment on, peat was dredged more and more often: the slagturven. With dredge brackets, a kind of landing net with a long stick, the wet peat was removed from under the surface of the water.
The dredged peat was laid out to dry on saved strips of land (laying fields or setwalls) and cut into turves. After the entire peat layer was dredged away, elongated puddles (cap holes or pull holes) remained, which were otherwise worthless.
In order to meet the growing fuel demand, larger and larger areas of land had to be excavated. The laying fields became narrower and narrower, the cap holes wider and deeper. As a result, it could happen that in a storm the laying fields were knocked away by the water, creating dyeing puddles. In this way, the Loosdrechtse- and Vinkeveense Plassen were also created.

With the photo: Laying fields and cap holes in Loosdrecht

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