Bolgerijen and Autena Polders

This polder walk takes you through the Bolgerijen and Autena polders, just south of Vianen. Bolgerijen is a hamlet near Vianen. The hamlet is named after its location in the Bolgerijen Polder. The polder is probably named after Bulgaria, one of the countries visited by the crusaders around the 12th century during their crusades; it was not unusual to name new polders after distant lands in those days. The walk takes you through a unique area featuring osier beds, hayfields, pastures and poplar woods. This is home to the largest inland osier bed complex in the country. An osier bed is a willow plantation, or a large coppiced willow forest. The willows are cut once every 3 to 4 years to harvest the ‘tenen’ (branches).

Osier beds are important not only for their natural value, but also from a cultural and historical perspective. Over the past centuries, the supple branches of the osier beds have been used for various purposes: for making baskets, barrel hoops and bank revetments, as well as for weaving mats to reinforce dykes. Osier beds are rare in the Netherlands, but at the Bolgerijen polder you can walk alongside them. You can choose between a 2.5 km (blue), 4.5 km (red) or 3 km (yellow) route. The red route takes you past a bird-watching hide.