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Water en land

Landforms   Dune areas   Dunes (biotope)   Nature   Dunes   Dunes Westerplas   Noorderduinen   Old dunes   Eastern dunes   
The Kobbeduinen on Schiermonnikoog., Bezoekerscentrum Schiermonnikoog

Kooi, Kobbe and Willem Dunes

There are two other narrow strokes of dunes on Schiermonnikoog, in addition to the Noorderduinen: the Kooiduinen and the Kobbeduinen. The Kooiduinen are three hundred years old and the Kobbeduinen only 150 years old. Willemsduin is the most easterly group of dunes on the island.

  • Kooiduinen

    The Kooiduinen did not exist around 1600, according to old charts. They slowly started to form after this time, as a kind of extension of the old dunes. The Kooiduinen are part of the dike ring, the ring of (delta-height) dikes and dunes surrounding the village. The Kooiduinen were raised in 1963. The sand came from what is now the Berkeplas and the Kooiplas. The dune's height was measured in 1992 and it appeared that some places had to be raised again. Sand was now brought in from the north of the Kooiduinen, forming a new pond has formed, called the Binnenkwelderplas. The Kooiduinen are overgrown with creeping willow, elder, birch and hawthorn.

  • Kobbeduinen

    The Kobbeduinen were formed in the first half of the 19th century. This row of dunes started out as an extension of the Kooiduinen. Where the Kobbeduinen now are found was only formed later, more parallel to the Kooiduinen. The word Kobbe comes from Kove, which means gull. Lots of plants grow in the dune valleys of the Kobbeduinen thanks to the sheltered position. Elder, sea buckthorn and fireweed color the area throughout the year. The long, woody stems of the fireweed grow best in soil containing lots of nitrogen. Lots of Grass of Parnassus grows where there is no saline influence. Because many small channels that would normally drain away water have now filled with sand, parts of the Kobbeduinen have become marshy. Therefore, other rare plants can grow, such as marsh orchid, fen orchid and felwort.

  • Willemsduin

    The Willemsduin is one of the most easterly lying groups of dunes on Schiermonnikoog. Before the drift dike was constructed, the Willemsduin grew larger every year. However since the drift dike was laid, it has been slowly decreasing in size. Willemsduin is very well known for strollers and 'wadlopers'. There is a beacon near the dune that captains and hikers use to determine their location.