Goilberdingerwaard

Above Culemborg, in a gentle bend of the Lek, lies the floodplain area Goilberdingerwaarden. It is a bird-rich nature development area. From a cultural-historical point of view, the parts of the Dutch Waterline are particularly interesting.

The floodplain area near the hamlet of Goilberdingen is historic land. It is part of the New Dutch Waterline. Fort Everdingen, Werk aan het Spoel, the Diefdijk, bunkers, shelters and inlet works – they are still clearly present in the landscape.

The proximity of Fort Everdingen has left its mark on the appearance of the Goilberdinger values.

The area was part of the New Dutch Waterline. That was a line of defence of the Randstad. It consists of forts and bunkers and a system of dikes and areas that could be flooded. The line was in use until 1963. Around the field of fire of the forts and bunkers, the terrain was empty and flat. Dikes and quays were built in such a way that the enemy could not entrench themselves.

The vegetation of the floodplain used to consist mainly of willow stumps. The wide range of wrestling systems made it difficult for the enemy to dig in. When the line was prepared, the willows were cut down to get a better view. During the World Wars, the line was put on alert. New bomb-proof shelters were also constructed. The Werk aan het Spoel fortress is one of them. It now houses a restaurant.

In the period 1997-2002, a dike improvement project was carried out and the area was designated for nature development.

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