History of the reclamation of the western fenlands and of the organizations to keep them drained

Around the 8th century the midwest of the Netherlands consisted of far

larger areas of peat fenland than it does now. In the centre of this

area the small, freshwater lake Almere was situated. The Alinere was fed

by the rivers Gelderse IJssel and Utrechtse Vecht. It had only a narrow

passage between Friesland and Northern Holland to the North Sea.