There are a number of similarities between the regions of Salzburgerland and Gaasterland: both tower considerably above sea level, both landscapes are managed by nature conservation organisations and farmers, and both have many lakes. Both are also centuries-old holiday destinations, “evergreens” that have kept up with the times.

Unique

But what the municipality of Gaasterlân-Sleat has that Salzburgerland doesn’t is extensive bicycle paths through the woods and pastures, several locations and plenty of wind for water sports, recreational water right in the middle of the woods, sandy beaches, and an evening sun that sets across a lake. If Mozart had seen such a sunset, André Rieu would now be performing “Sonnenuntergang am IJsselmeer” and eating Mozartkugeln on a bench on the Mirnser cliff…

‘Always Good Weather’ Guarantee

Gaasterland boasts fresh air, woods, pastures and an abundance of recreation waters, all of which entice hikers, cyclists and pleasure craft sailors to come spend an active holiday here. Such a combination of recreational possibilities on land and water is rather rare. Gaasterland offers an ‘Always Good Weather’ Guarantee, with beautiful beaches on the IJsselmeer and Slotermeer lakes for glorious, sunny days and lovely bicycle paths through beautiful woods and indoor attractions for rainy days, not to mention cosy restaurants with the ambiance of days gone by combined with exquisite contemporary cuisine. There is so much to see and do in Gaasterland!

A Good Marriage

The municipality of Gaasterlân-Sleat was created on 1 January 1984 when the municipalities of Gaasterland (Gaasterlân) and Sloten (Sleat) were combined. Characteristic of Gaasterland is a slightly sloping landscape and an elevated location. This green park-like area is located between the shorelines of the IJsselmeer (Lake IJssel) and the Frisian lakes. Sloten is widely known as a friendly “Elfstedentocht” town, with a well-preserved fortress and a genuine town crier.

More Water than Woods

The municipality of Gaasterlân-Sleat is actually one big national park where farming, forestry and recreation coexist in harmony. The municipality has a population of 10,000, 1100 hectares of woods and no fewer than 11,773 hectares of lakes and canals (including part of the IJsselmeer).

“Gaasten”: Boulder Clay Mounds From the Ice Age

The global climate cooled off from time to time more than 100,000 years ago. These periods of cold, which lasted thousands of years and are known as the ice ages, alternated with warmer periods. The mounds of Gaasterland were created in the next-to-last ice age, when a thick ice cap of more than 250 meters carried boulder clay from Scandinavia. Boulder clay is oily clay containing all sizes of boulders. This soil drift was deposited in layers, sometimes several meters thick, in the northern half of The Netherlands when the ice masses slowly melted. Boulder clay mounds were formed when the ice retracted at the end of the ice age and then advance in a southern direction again a number of times. These mounds are oval-shaped and more than 10 meters high. The Frisian word for them is “gaasten”, which explains why the region is called Gaasterland. As the glaciers advanced, they created embankments on both sides by pushing up soil. The southern side became Gaasterland and the northern side became the Koudum mound, with its chain of lakes (Morra, Fluessen and Heegermeer lakes).

Between 3,000 and 2,000 B.C. (Late Stone Age) these boulders were used, particularly in Drenthe, to build megalithic tombs. They were later used for the foundations of churches and, starting in the 18th century, to reinforce the dikes.

Cliffs

The piles of pushed-up boulder clay have always protected the land behind them from the forces of the Zuider Zee. Repeated battering by the advancing sea eroded parts of the mounds during the Middle Ages. This resulted in the creation of steep coastal edges: cliffs. Famous ‘towers of strength’ are the cliffs near Oudemirdum and Mirns. After the sea was tamed in 1932 by the Afsluitdijk dike, however, no more erosion took place. The inclines have become overgrown and are much less steep than before. The Oudemirdum cliff is now a protected nature reserve with a lookout. De Hege Gerzen, located next to the nature reserve, is a popular recreation park with a beautiful sandy beach, snack bar and a new miniature golf course. The Mirnser cliff near Rijs also has a lovely sandy beach.

Gaasterland is basin-shaped. From the edge, where most of the villages are found, there is a lovely view of the surrounding low-lying land. The woods in the relatively flat area in the middle, once covered with heather, were largely planted in the seventeenth century as copse woods for the people living in the vicinity. Farmers also developed oak wood forests, which served as fencing for their small pastures. The oak trees were also cut down and debarked for the tanneries. The wooded banks and pastures continue to contribute to the scenic diversity of Gaasterland to this day. The forest complexes were later partially developed into farmland and pastures. The remaining copse woods were given the opportunity in the first half of the last century to develop into timber trees and are now managed by the Dutch Forestry Commission, ‘It Fryske Gea’ and the Society for the Preservation of Nature in the Netherlands. The woods contain oaks, birches, beeches and many varieties of conifers, including larches, Scots pine and Douglas fir. A wide variety of ferns also grow there.

The Menno van Coehoorn Woods near Wyckel and the Rijster woods, planted in the seventeenth century as part of a country estate, are known for their rare plants. These plants, including ramsons, corydalis, wild forest tulip, wild hyacinth, and adder’s root, grow almost exclusively in the gardens of former castles in the city and countryside (‘stinsen’), as well as monasteries and parsonages.

The woods of Gaasterland are open to the public and accessible by way of beautiful lanes and paths. They are ideal for walking, cycling, and horseback riding (there are riding stables nearby Harich).

Lakes

The municipality of Gaasterlân-Sleat has a ‘sea’ side and a ‘lake’ side. Since the completion of the Afsluitdijk dike in 1932, the ‘sea’ has become the IJsselmeer (Lake IJssel). The Morra, Fluessen and Slotermeer lakes are located on the west and north side of the municipality. The Morra, Fluessen and Heegermeer lakes are all linked and together form a submerged glaciated valley.

Most of the Frisian lakes were formed in the early Middle Ages when an end came to the formation of the peat bogs on the sand deposits. The sand was deposited on the boulder clay 70,000 to 80,000 years ago during the last ice age. The peat developed primarily during the warm and moist Atlantica Age (5,500-3,000 BC), when lush vegetation developed that drowned, as it were, in the wet environment. Because the plant remains did not decompose completely, much carbon remained. The degree of carbon in the peat bog determines its suitability as fuel. The sea level rose so much that the low-lying centre of Friesland (Lage Midden) became submerged. Storms washed away portions of the peat bogs, creating large lakes. Gaasterland’s boulder clay formation has remained more or less intact.