Leidse Rijn - History

History

Since the beginning of our era, the old course of the Rhine between Utrecht and Harmelen became increasingly more difficult to navigate. The building of a dam in the Kromme Rijn in 1122 led to a silting up of the old Rhine below Utrecht, especially as it meandered through very flat terrain.

Already in the early Middle Ages (ca. 700) a canal from Utrecht to Vleuten was dug. When the part Vleuten-Harmelen ultimately became too narrow and winding as well, in 1381 the Oude Rijn (Old Rhine) canal (Harmelen-Utrecht) was dug.

Under the expansion plans of the Utrecht city mayor Hendrick Moreelse in 1662-1665 a new shortcut was dug, the Leidse Rijn, connecting to where the Oude Rijn canal made a curve to the northeast. At the place where the new canal connected to the Oude Rijn the nobleman Everard Meyster built an estate called Oog in Al.

Eventually the name Leidse Rijn came to be used for the whole section Utrecht-Harmelen.

Rhine–Meuse–Scheldt delta

Rhine	Current distributaries Waal Nederrijn IJssel Lek Merwede Boven Merwede Nieuwe Merwede Beneden Merwede Oude Maas Dordtsche Kil Noord Nieuwe Maas Het Scheur Nieuwe Waterweg Former distributaries Kromme Rijn Leidse Rijn Oude Rijn Hollandse IJssel Vecht Brielse Maas Spui Current estuaries Nieuwe Waterweg IJsselmeer Former estuaries Hollands Diep Haringvliet Volkerak Krammer Grevelingen Keeten-Mastgat Oosterschelde Associated canals Bijlands Kanaal Pannerdens Kanaal Amsterdam–Rhine Canal Vaartse Rijn Nieuwe Merwede Nieuwe Waterweg Scheldt–Rhine Canal Maas-Waal Canal

Meuse	Current distributaries Bergse Maas Amer Former distributaries Oude Maasje Afgedamde Maas Merwede Boven Merwede Beneden Merwede Oude Maas Dordtsche Kil Noord Nieuwe Maas Het Scheur Nieuwe Waterweg Current estuaries Former estuaries Hollands Diep Haringvliet Volkerak Krammer Grevelingen Keeten-Mastgat Oosterschelde Associated canals Heusden Canal Bergse Maas Maas-Waal Canal

Scheldt	Current distributaries Western Scheldt Former distributaries Oosterschelde Eendracht Current estuaries Western Scheldt Former estuaries Oosterschelde Krammer Grevelingen Associated canals Scheldt–Rhine Canal

Other rivers	Linge Mark Donge Rotte Oude IJssel

Islands and Peninsulas	Rozenburg IJsselmonde Het Eiland van Dordt Voorne and Putten Hoeksche Waard Tiengemeten Goeree-Overflakkee Schouwen-Duiveland Tholen Sint Philipsland Walcheren Noord-Beveland Zuid-Beveland

Towns	Rotterdam Antwerp Dordrecht Bergen-op-Zoom Schiedam Vlissingen Vlaardingen Middelburg Spijkenisse

Other topics	Delta Works Verdronken Land van Reimerswaal Verdronken Land van Saeftinghe St. Elizabeth's flood (1421) St. Felix's Flood All Saints' Flood (1570)

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