Gelderse Poort and Lingewaard

The Landscape

The Gelderse Poort National Landscape offers a stunning backdrop of rivers, dikes, and floodplains. Here, where the Rhine splits into the Waal and the Lower Rhine, the rivers meander through a varied and ever-changing landscape. In this area, hundreds of hectares of floodplains have been returned to nature and the river, creating a dynamic environment filled with birdsong, wildflower meadows, and untamed nature. Thanks to this renewed natural rhythm, the rivers were given the space to follow their course once more. In some places, river dunes emerged, while side channels were created to give the river even more freedom. Semi-wild horses and cattle now graze in flower-rich meadows, surrounded by rugged vegetation and riparian forests.

The Lingewaard is a unique river landscape in the heart of the Gelderse Poort, forming a green oasis between Arnhem and Nijmegen. Along winding dikes and numerous orchards, which sparkle with blossoms in spring and hang heavy with juicy fruit in late summer, the landscape breathes peace and open space, while the floodplains play a vital ecological role. Thanks to restoration efforts, the river has been given more room to flow, creating a diverse landscape of meadows, riverbanks, riperian forests, oxbow lakes, and habitats for many bird species. Since the mid-19th century, the area has seen the rise of a thriving brick industry, with river clay being extracted on a large scale in the floodplains. In some places, the tall chimneys of former brickworks still stand, now recognized as industrial heritage.