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Mens en Milieu

Organisations   Natuurmonumenten   Jac. P. Thijsse   Farming   Sheep   

Hoge Berg

It has an elevation of 15 meters, the Hoge Berg. It is the highest point of the lateral moraine from the next to last glacial period, which lies roughly between Oost and Den Hoorn. Between Den Burg and Oudeschild, the hilly countryside with its characteristic 'tuinwallen' (garden walls), 'schapenboeten' (sheep shacks) and the drinking holes is protected as Landscape Reserve. On the eastern side lie a number of woods, of which the Doolhof is the best known. The only insect reserve in the entire Netherlands is also found here: the Zandkuil.

  • Tuinwallen (garden walls)

    The most curious landscape element in the Hoge Berg region is the tuinwal or garden wall. They were built after the abolishment of 'free grazing' in the second half of the 16th century. Farmers used to have the right to let their sheep graze everywhere. These rights were abolished since management of the farmlands, the polders and the dikes was not easy to organize. After the change, the cattle had to stay on their own land. Ditches could not be dug in the high regions and wood was scarce on the basically treeless Texel in those days. So walls were made from grass sods. The tuinwallen are approximately one meter high and one meter wide with a crown one half meter wide. They used to be topped off with prickly branches from the dunes to keep the animals from escaping.
    Many tuinwallen were removed in the 1950s and 1960s. They stood in the way of modern farming methods. However in 1968, the area of the Hoge Berg was designated as a landscape reservation. Since then, the farmers receive funding to maintain their tuinwallen, for which they receive funds. One problem with the restoration of the tuinwallen is the quality of the grass sod. Due to the use of artificial fertilizers, the composition of the turf is looser, whereby the sods fall apart more readily and are less suitable for a tuinwal.
    Tuinwallen must be mowed every year. This helps them to remain sturdy and lots of flowers benefit: harebell, mouse-ear hawkweed, sheep's bit, lady's bedstraw, common polypody, early hair-grass and thrift. Even root voles live in the dry garden walls. On the mainland, this rare animal isfound almost exclusively in damp regions.
    Nowadays, there is a special 'sod cutter' which cuts and layers sods. A 1.25 meter long tuinwal can be built in an hour. The new tuinwallen by the City Hall and the Alloo were constructed in this way.

  • Drinking holes

    A large number of drinking holes (kolken) are found on the old land of Texel. These holes have a diameter of five to ten meters. Rainwater does not sink into the ground because the layer of boulder clay under the drinking holes forms a poor permeable layer. These holes were dug so that the cattle would always have fresh water to drink. In earlier times, it was also a drinking water reservoir for people.
    In the second half of the 20th century, many of the old drinking holes were filled. They were no longer needed by the farmers. However, they fall under protection on the Hoge Berg. Sometimes, unusual aquatic plants grow in the drinking holes, such as broad-leaved pondweed, pond crowfoot, water purslane and lesser marshwort. You also find smooth newts, British toads and frogs in and around many of the pools.

  • Schapenboeten (sheep sheds)

    Schapenboeten (sheep sheds) were built throughout the old land of Texel. Three sides of the sheds have a slanting roof while the fourth side is vertical. The vertical wall is always on the leeward side, thus facing the east. The dominating wind on Texel is westerly. Schapenboeten have little to do with sheep. At the most, the sheep use the leeward side as shelter from wind and rain. Their main purpose is for storing hay and tools.

    The first schapenboeten appeared after the abolishment of the 'free grazing' policy at the end of the 17th century. The design has hardly changed after all these years. Many sheds were demolished in the 20th century, since they no longer served their purpose. There are around 80 schapenboeten still on Texel, of which 28 are listed as a town monument. Some have been converted into vacation homes, horse stalls or chicken coops.

  • Insect reservation the Zandkuil

    The Zandkuil is the only insect reserve in the Netherlands. It is an old sand excavation situated next to the woods on the Hoge Berg. Jac. P. Thijsse wrote enthusiastically about the Zandkuil. He loved it particular for all the unusual insects found there. Upon his advise, the terrain was left alone. In 1923, this unique insect reserve was bestowed upon Natuurmonumenten.

    During the last ice age, wind-borne sand was deposited on the hump of boulder clay in the Hoge Berg region, including the Zandkuil. The sand is yellowish-white to rusty brown in color and quite firm. Rare solitary wasps and bees can dig their nesting holes in this sand. The sand in the dunes is too loose and doesn't work as well.

    More than twenty species of bees and wasps are found in these bare slopes, including the solitary bee Dasypoda hirtipes, a rare sand wasp Bembix rostrata, the Collectus, Stelis ornatula and the leaf-cutter Megachile.