Harbor Route (Waterloopbos)

1) Paviljoen Het ProefLab

The Pavilion houses the restaurant Het ProefLab and the information point of Natuurmonumenten. The Pavilion is located next to the artwork Deltawerk. It is a beautiful location for a delicious cup of coffee, before or after a lovely walk through the Waterloopbos.

2) Deltawerk

As a tribute to the hundreds of hydraulic studies conducted in the Waterloopbos, spatial artists RAAAF and Atelier de Lyon transformed the Deltagoot into the artwork Deltawerk. The concrete, once straight-lined, is now broken. Concrete panels have been cut out from the walls, turned, and tilted. This offers a magical experience of light and dark, with views of the surrounding nature in between. Over the years it will transform into a large paradise of lichens. Some rare species have already been spotted here. In this way, Deltawerk becomes a green monument where art, nature, and technology meet.

At the end of the seventies, the Deltagoot was built for research for the storm surge barrier in the Oosterschelde. Later, studies on beach and dune erosion, coastline protection and dyke coverings, breakwaters, and oil platforms were conducted. The Deltagoot was in use until 2016.

3) IJmuiden

Research for the port of IJmuiden was conducted here in 1956. After World War II, ships became larger, making the harbor dams of the port of IJmuiden too short. This place was used to study how the harbor dams and heads should be designed so large ships could enter the harbor safely and calmly. Studies were later conducted for the port of Scheveningen (1961) and the Eemshaven (1968), among others.

4) Rotterdam

The municipality of Rotterdam was for many years a major client of the Hydraulic Engineering Laboratory. Many Rotterdam remnants can be found in the forest, such as the Willemstunnel and the Maasvlakte, which you see here ahead. The cooling water for the power plant on the Maasvlakte is collected in a pond and discharged from there. The design of that pond and the stability of the soil and outflow openings were studied here in the Waterloopbos.

5) Animals and Plants

Flowing water in the forest attracts special animals and plants. Dragonflies, for example, feel right at home in the hydraulic models. The kingfisher is a permanent resident of the Waterloopbos. This bird often hides at the edge of the forest and attacks fish in the water from there. Tongue fern grows along the water here. You also have a chance to encounter the bordered fishing spider among the reeds here. This species lurks along the water’s edge until something comes up to breathe or can even walk on the water to catch floating insects that have fallen into the water.

6) Sitka Spruces

Which tree species grow on a dried-up former seabed? That was a question occupying the Rijksdienst IJsselmeerpolders. To find out, all kinds of tree species were planted here, such as the Sitka spruce; a relative of the Norway spruce.

7) Libya

The Libyans came to the Hydraulic Engineering Laboratory for help when their oil harbor Marsha-el-Brega needed to be enlarged. The basis for this impressive harbor was therefore laid in the Noordoostpolder. During the liberation struggle in 2012, the harbor was frequently in the news. Wave machines were used with this model. About forty of these were in the Waterloopbos. They could move back and forth or rotate, producing different kinds of waves.

8) Bangkok

Salt water was needed for the research into the design of the Port of Bangkok. To achieve this, a gigantic salt water silo was constructed here. This allowed the study of fresh and saltwater flows. Today the silo (the mound to the left of the model) is used as a hibernation shelter for bats. Among others, fringe-tailed bats sleep here.

9) Water Level

The Waterloopbos lies about two meters below sea level. The water flows out here into the Zwolse Vaart, which lies 4.5 meters below NAP (Amsterdam Ordnance Datum).

10) Wave Basin

In the past, there was a hall over the Wave Basin model so that weather and wind could not influence the research results. Engineers studied, among other things, the stability of a block dam under the influence of currents and waves. In total, 18 different studies were carried out here. Today it is a sunny spot with butterflies, dragonflies, and the kingfisher.

The Wave Basin was fully restored in 2019. This way, this spot remains preserved for the future. This scale model of the former Hydraulic Engineering Laboratory tells part of the unique history of the Waterloopbos National Monument.