Nieuwkoopse Lakes

The Nieuwkoopse Plassen is a nature reserve of 1400 hectares located in the Dutch province of South Holland, near the towns of Nieuwkoop, Noorden, and De Meije. Of this area, over 1000 hectares is owned by the Nature Conservation Association. The lakes were formed from the 16th century onwards due to peat extraction in the area. A short distance from the Dorpsstraat of the ribbon village of Nieuwkoop, which borders the lake area on the northwest side and is attractive to tourists due to the typical peat workers' houses, there are two very extensive and relatively shallow peat lakes, the Noordeinderplas and the Zuideinderplas. A cycling path, the Meijepad, runs from the ribbon village of De Meije near the water tower Het Potlood to Nieuwkoop, crossing through the Zuideinderplas, with a wooden bridge in the middle to allow navigation from one part of the lake to another.

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