Weerribben-Wieden National Park, National park in Overijssel, Netherlands.
Weerribben-Wieden National Park is a protected area in Overijssel made up of interconnected waterways, lakes, reed beds, and grasslands that form Northwest Europe's largest peat bog system. The water, vegetation, and land create an intricate landscape where nothing stands isolated.
From medieval times until World War II, people extracted peat from this area, creating a network of narrow canals and land strips in the process. This peat extraction shaped the area's distinctive pattern of water and land that exists today.
Reed cutting is a living craft here, with local workers using traditional methods to harvest materials for thatched roofs across the region. Visitors walking through can observe this work and understand how people actively maintain and shape the land.
The area can be explored on foot and by boat, with visitor centers in Ossenzijl and Sint Jansklooster providing maps and guidance. The best time to visit is during warmer months when paths are accessible and wildlife is most active.
The park holds the entire Dutch population of large copper butterflies and Norfolk damselflies, two rare insects that make this ecosystem especially valuable. These species depend on intact boglands and cannot be found elsewhere in the Netherlands.
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