Crab forests and Vloeiweide

Van Zandstraat 7, 4891PP Rijsbergen, The Netherlands
GPS recording from June 5, 2021 with a lovely terrace along the way that has been looked forward to for a long time at https://www.deturfvaert.nl/?gclid=Cj0KCQjwweyFBhDvARIsAA67M70r-8i7Z5XDwpWHLGQ7LjXZ1GOBOmQ2GnwQx8H-GJyH3GEfTV7dm7MaApZHEALw_wcB

Routing Walk - most beautiful, Shortest - OSM, Walk - nodes, Manual

This relatively unknown, approximately 105 ha forest area is a former estate, which came into the possession of the Brabants Landschap in 1986. The Krabbe forests are located on both sides of the river Aa or Weerijs, on two deck sand ridges. Most of it is on the west bank.

The soil is of varied composition; nutrient-poor sand and also loamy sand, fertile stream valley soil and many peat and loam layers in the subsoil. There are also some height differences. All this and the presence of fens and seepage water, make the area rich in plant and bird species. The most vulnerable areas are not accessible.

The story goes that during the siege of Breda in 1624/25, General Spinola had the Aa or Weerijs dammed here, so that Breda could not flood the area southwest of the city. Remains of this dam are still visible in the landscape. But it is now known that the dam is younger and is part of the Zuiderwaterlinie or Zuiderfrontier, built in 1701 to a design by Menno van Coehoorn. The lines of den Hout and of the Munnikenhof, north of Breda, are also part of this.

The area, largely planted with softwood, is gradually being transformed by Brabants Landschap into a more natural, mixed forest with a well-developed herb and shrub layer.
The Krabbe forests are a link in the Brabant Nature Network - formerly called Ecological Head Structure - and connect various nature reserves with each other. The nearby motorways and railway lines do not help with this, but we are constantly working on improving the green connection zones between Krabbebossen, Liesbos, Vloeiweide, Pannenhoef, Trippelenberg and Mastbos. In 2017, for example, an agricultural area of 40 ha came into the possession of Brabants Landschap on the east side of the Aa or Weerijs. It will be decorated with pools, wood girths and alder and pollard willows, in line with the room landscape on the estate.
A new, positive development thanks to the Weerijs Zuid land development plan.

The soil is of varied composition; nutrient-poor sand and also loamy sand, fertile stream valley soil and many peat and loam layers in the subsoil. There are also some height differences. All this and the presence of fens and seepage water, make the area rich in plant and bird species. The most vulnerable areas are not accessible.

The story goes that during the siege of Breda in 1624/25, General Spinola had the Aa or Weerijs dammed here, so that Breda could not flood the area southwest of the city. Remains of this dam are still visible in the landscape. But it is now known that the dam is younger and is part of the Zuiderwaterlinie or Zuiderfrontier, built in 1701 to a design by Menno van Coehoorn. The lines of den Hout and of the Munnikenhof, north of Breda, are also part of this.

The area, largely planted with softwood, is gradually being transformed by Brabants Landschap into a more natural, mixed forest with a well-developed herb and shrub layer.
The Krabbe forests are a link in the Brabant Nature Network - formerly called Ecological Head Structure - and connect various nature reserves with each other. The nearby motorways and railway lines do not help with this, but we are constantly working on improving the green connection zones between Krabbebossen, Liesbos, Vloeiweide, Pannenhoef, Trippelenberg and Mastbos. In 2017, for example, an agricultural area of 40 ha came into the possession of Brabants Landschap on the east side of the Aa or Weerijs. It will be decorated with pools, wood girths and alder and pollard willows, in line with the room landscape on the estate.
A new, positive development thanks to the Weerijs Zuid land development plan.

The Vloeiweide is the name of a nature reserve that is located between the villages of Effen and Rijsbergen.

It is owned by the Brabants Landschap Foundation and measures approximately 135 ha. In the early 19th century, an irrigation system was constructed in this area, consisting of a system of ditches dug perpendicular to the Bijloop flowing through the area. Thus, the meadows were irrigated with more or less nutrient-rich water, so that the yield of hay increased. The nearby heathlands were planted with Scots pine a few years later. An estate-like area was created, characterized by avenues. In the beginning of the 20th century, the Slingervijver was laid out in English landscape style. Even after the Second World War, Scots pine was still planted and poplar plantations were also established.

On the Turfvaart, which also flows along the area, stood the IJzermolen van Rijsbergen until 1856, which drove the hammers of an iron crushing plant for many years.

On October 4, 1944, the drama De Post in de Vloeiweide took place here. A monument near the forester's house in question reminds of what happened.