The Hoge Veluwe National Park is a good example of the Dutch sand dunes which are an unusual feature. During the Wageningen soil tour, we learned that these dunes were the result of human activity, the draining of the peatlands and the destabilizing of the soil. What is interesting is the governments push to preserve these ‘natural landscapes’ even though this is not the natural landscape but however an anthropogenic soil layer. The park is very flat allowing for easy biking through it, providing a very pleasant experience. Within the park there is also a museum that displays the natural flora and fauna in the park, as well as an art museum displaying works from famous artists including Van Gogh and some art from the Renaissance period.
The park was vast and had different regions in terms of fauna. We were given a scavenger hunt to find certain animals of which we failed miserably, failing to even see a single bird. However, we benefitted from visiting the museum which displayed mammals native to the park, as well as plants and amphibians. Groundwater was also highly stressed due to the importance of groundwater as a source of potable water to The Netherlands.
The art museum displayed beautiful works that were of cultural importance to the Dutch people. Many statues and pieces lined the lawn and forest outside the museum, as well as fountains and other water features. It was very aesthetically pleasing and relaxing and over all a fantastic experience. From the park we headed back to Amsterdam, by two buses and a train.
The Canadian Traveller 🍁 