Gelderland River Country

The Gelderland river country lies between the Rhine and the Maas and is traversed by the Waal, a broad subsidiary arm of the Rhine, and the Linge. It is very different from the rest of the province, its pattern of development having been determined by the rivers. In earlier times the rivers followed meandering and changing courses through the region, regularly flooding the surrounding countryside and leaving deposits of silt. Over the centuries many miles of dikes were built to control them, and the Waal became an important waterway carrying traffic to the great ports on the North Sea (particularly Rotterdam), the Ruhr, Switzerland, Belgium and France, while the Rhine and the Maas steadily increased in importance as waterways linking the various parts of the country with each other and with foreign lands. In spite of this the people of the river country remained relatively isolated, since until the Second World War the rivers could for the most part be crossed only by ferry. Since then north-south communications have been improved by the construction of railroad bridges and expressways. The fertile silt deposited by the rivers has fostered the development of horticulture, stock farming and fruit growing. In spring the country is decorated with the blossom of many thousand apple, pear, cherry and plum trees.