Ooijpolder and Millingerwaard

The Landscape

The Ooijpolder and the Millingerwaard are part of the National Landscape De Gelderse Poort, a riverine region that marks the beginning of the Dutch river delta. The Ooijpolder stretches across more than 2,000 hectares along the meandering River Waal. Once a pristine, marshy landscape where water roamed freely and the river often spilled over its banks, this area owes its very existence to the Waal. Its floods deposited fertile layers of sand and clay that shaped the land. But the river also had a wilder side, claiming lives and sweeping away entire villages in its powerful flow.

The Millingerwaard is one of the oldest nature development areas along the River Waal. Where cattle once grazed on farmland until the mid-1990s, you’ll now find a vibrant river landscape of floodplain forests, marshes, flower-rich meadows, lakes, and river dunes. Konik horses and Galloway cattle roam freely, while beavers quietly build their lodges along the water’s edge. Surrounding the area lies a high, sandy riverbank, now one of the tallest river dunes in the Netherlands.