SCHELLINKHOUT

The Dorpsweg of Schellinkhout has no less than 33 bends, thanks to the winding course of the former peat river, the Dregt. *)
Close to the church, the Dregt flowed into the sea, and from that point, the Dorpsweg runs more or less straight towards the dike of the Markermeer. Where once a peat river meandered, the winding Dorpsweg now runs.
The role of peat rivers and creek ridges in the (settlement) history of West Friesland becomes evident in the history of this village. In the past, there was a prehistoric creek ridge. Due to the growing peat layers on either side of this creek ridge, it became lower than the surrounding landscape, and a new water flow towards the sea emerged at that location. That same creek ridge was also ideal for settlement. On the firm ground along the river, it was possible to build houses and lay roads. In the underlying peat landscape, ditches were dug for drainage to make the land suitable for arable farming. Due to the drainage and shrinkage of the peat, the situation reversed: the creek ridge became higher again than its surroundings, and the river ran dry.

*) Drecht or Dracht may relate to the ‘dregen or dragen’ of ships, meaning navigable. Drecht or Dracht thus has the meaning of fairway / passage / navigable water.

By the photo:
The Martinus Church, built in the 14th century and expanded in the 15th and 16th centuries.
The former town hall with a memorial stone on the side façade regarding the laying of the first stone in 1759.

Biker