Tijdschrift voor Historische Geografie - Volume 4, Issue 1, 2019

In the second half of the 19th century, some major changes occurred in the water management of the eastern and southern provinces of the Netherlands. Unlike the low-lying western parts of the Netherlands which were characterised by polders and had a long history of formal water boards, the higher eastern and southern parts of the Netherlands were characterized by brook systems and sandy soils, and had no centralised water boards until 1850. From the 1850s onward, water boards were introduced in these higher regions as well, and agronomical scientists and organisations like the Nederlandse Heidemaatschappij endeavoured for the modernisation of agricultural water management. One of their priorities was the introduction of modern forms of surface irrigation of pastures, in order to increase crop yields. In various places modern irrigation systems were constructed. From the 1900s onward, these systems were abandoned due to the introduction of new chemical fertilizers, among others. This article describes the construction and abandonment of one of these modern irrigation systems that was located in Liempde, in the province of Noord-Brabant. The local farmers were not interested in the new technique, and within a few years the system was transformed in a poplar plantation. Nowadays, the area is part of a nature reserve. Nonetheless, the global layout of the irrigation system is still visible.

During the 1950s a network of aircraft observation post was built in The Netherlands, as a detection/observation system against low-flying hostile aircraft during the Cold War. Preferably, these were placed on highrise buildings. 134 of these 276 observation posts were built on existing buildings, on factories, mills, water towers, monasteries, government buildings and bunkers. Since their decommissioning in 1964-1968, many posts have been demolished. Approximately 37 posts on existing buildings remain, but mostly go unnoticed and many risk demolition in the future. These remaining aircraft observation posts are remarkable relics of our military heritage from the Cold War.

In the high Middle Ages the village of Coxyde developed and joined the economic success of the Zwin trade during the late medieval period. Due to a combination of factors it shrank during the 15th and 16th centuries and is abandoned with the inundations during the Eighty Years’ War. A multidisciplinary study enabled to trace the location of the village and reveal the main phases of its development.

In the rural area in the middle of the heaviest urbanized area in the Netherlands, called Groene Hart (‘Green Heart’), a large number of small patches of woodland occur. These groves have been utilized by farmers during centuries for their wood supply. Based on the occurrence of wooded patches of land on historic maps from the end of the 19th century and still present on the recent map, a number of 1211 groves have been inventoried. Crude estimates reveal that at least 50% of the groves present in 1877 will have disappeared in the cause of time. The decline is due to several causes, varying from urbanization to active removal by landowners. This trend will continue without better protection and supply of information.