I participated in the 2021 RPS Peri-Urban Project
A book was created by a collective from The Royal Photographic Society East Midlands and Central Regional Hubs and with guests from the Benelux International Chapter.
The Nedereindseplas by Carol Olerud FRPS, The Netherlands
The Nedereindseplas is now a recreational area between the cities of IJsselstein and Nieuwegein in the Province of Utrecht. It is used for recreation such as walking, running, cycling, (artificial)skiing and dog walking. It is located next to farmland, highway and residential areas. Fishing is also permitted but swimming is forbidden.
It began as a sand mine in 1932 for the building of the Highway A2 and later also for the development of the City of Nieuwegein in the 1970’s. It became known as the ‘Put van Weber’ a dumping ground for building rubbish. However, it became an illegal dumping ground for chemicals, hospital refuse, including radioactive materials, barrels and human rubbish.
Plans were made in the 1990s to create a large (water)recreational area here, to clean up the now water filled ‘lakes’. A swimming and water-skiing area was developed but shut down within years. The water is poisonous, it is 30m deep.
It’s been renamed to the Nedereindseplas, coming from an old road nearby the same name and has become a lovely nature area. Birds, ducks, swans and possibly fish (can’t eat) locate the area. It’s very pretty and is on the border of farming land. Cows graze in summer in the stretched out straight fields close by. Recreational activities bring many people here and the view of farming land on the western edge suggest a large sense of space. It’s also a shortcut between the two cities for cyclists or scooters etc.
My photos aim to show the use of the Nedereindseplas today as a recreational area and a peaceful place to walk around where you feel nature is close by. The hustle and bustle of the cities also close by, seem far away.
My pages in the book - layout as below:
Click on each to see the single images:
