” The North Sea as the last wasteland and waves of sand dunes to stop the waves… “When Jacques Brel sings Flat earth, as if his first words were for Zvin. The pain? This 770-hectare nature reserve borders the coast, the border between Belgium and the Netherlands. A landscape of dunes and marshes, polders and mudflats, where thousands of birds gather under a gray blue sky to enjoy a preserved corner of nature.
Sandy Bruges
Tsvin is a coastal beach. a strip of coastal land that you walk on land at low tide until the waves break at low tide. Therefore, the panorama changes according to hours, days and seasons. It gives the impression that it has been like this since the beginning of the world… Well, no. For the Zwin was once an arm of the sea leading to Bruges, some twenty kilometers inland. The wealth of the Flemish city dates back to the time when its port activity flourished.
But gradually, during the 15th and 16th centuries, the Zwin silted up, cutting off Bruges from the sea and causing its decline. The old arm of the sea thus became this area of land subject to the rhythms of the tides. It is home to many biotopes. Beaches and pools. Polders – these soils, which are taken from the sea, are preserved under the soil, but which remain below the water level. Then, above all, what is here called “slickes” and “shorr”. in Flemish patois, lick, it is mud. Therefore, it is the lower part of the bank that floods twice a day and turns into mud. that schorre:, it is alluvium. We’re talking about the upper part, the salt marshes, which taste like sea water only during big storms or exceptional high tides.
bird airport
These special biotopes are home to fauna and flora that are worth seeing. In summer, the Zvin plain is dressed in the purple color of sea lavender, and in autumn it is decorated with glass red. Beyond the marram grass that clings to the sand dunes, we also come across the false purple obion, the Atlantic squirrelfish, the sea urchin or the whelk.
In terms of wildlife, the entire food chain is present on site. And that’s what makes him rich. It begins with swamps, where stagnant waters hold microorganisms, small worms, gastropods, bivalves, crustaceans… An optional menu for other animals, the first of which is birds. Zvin likes to describe himself as “Bird International Airport”. It is truly an ornithological area of prime importance. 350 species of birds have been found there, 200, including hundreds of breeding birds, are found there every year. While some migrants only spend a few hours in Zwin, a time to recuperate before continuing the long journey, some settle there to winter and breed.
Among these nests are a number of marshes that are well suited to marshy habitats, such as the little tern, oystercatcher, spoonbill, or elegant tern. Not forgetting the stork, whose Zwin is the oldest colony in Belgium. But the reserve is home to many other birds: gulls, larks, terns, nightingales, pigeons… Get out your binoculars.
Return to land to sea
For more than two centuries, the lands of Zwin belonged to a family from the region, the Lippens. An ancestor was mayor of Ghent and a great-grandson is still mayor of Knokke, a very luxurious resort near Zwin. In 1908, to better manage their estates, the Lippens created the Compagnie immobilière du Zoute. In the process, they decided to urbanize part of their land to establish a small seaside town with Anglo-Norman style villas.
Very quickly Knokke developed and became the most popular resort on the Belgian coast. Urbanization could have continued indefinitely if one of the Lippens had not put the kibosh on it. In 1952, Léon Lippens decided to protect 150 hectares of his land, which he turned into the first nature reserve in Belgium, the Zwin. Since then, Zwin has been taken over by the government and has grown significantly. Main works were carried out in 2013-2019, particularly in the direction of the expansion of the plain. Because the sludge that became fatal in Bruges continues. With the risk that the area will cease to be irrigated and lose all ecological interest. After centuries of polderization, we have recently witnessed the beginning of depolderization, returning 120 hectares of agricultural land to the sea. A few months after the end of the work in these areas, where the peasants cultivated potatoes until the previous summer. , we saw the appearance of glass and small shrimp… Nature always takes back its rights.
What to do at Zwin?
Climb the panoramic tower
Located on the roof of a brand new building that welcomes visitors, it offers a 360-degree view to the Polders and the sea.
Visit the dedicated exhibitionMigratory birds
Most of the birds of Zvin are migratory. They are among the 10 billion birds that cross the planet twice a year. How are they preparing for this trip? How do they find their way? How can they fly thousands of miles? Where do they stand? The exhibition answers all these questions. Designed to be interactive, it puts you in the shoes of a stork, swallow or porcupine to make you experience the experience up close.
Follow the route to the huts
Located at the entrance to the park, this open-air circuit (1 km) is dotted with about ten cabins, offering the first approach to Zwin, its fauna and flora. A feeding hut where birds abound. A listening hut to appreciate their singing. Sitting in a hut to see a stork’s nest from above. A fresh water laboratory, another one in salt water, where you can discover all the life invisible to the naked eye under the microscope… A nature guide is posted in each cabin to give you all the explanations.
Go for a walk
Some areas of Zwin are open for walking. If you are going alone, follow one of the 2 marked loops (2 km each) or take the marked trails. Most are pedestrianized, but a few are accessible to cyclists.
Our advice:
If you want to go off the beaten track, opt for a guided tour. Tours in French are organized every Saturday at 14:00, every Sunday at 10:30 and 14:00. They last 2 hours and cost €12 (by reservation). Don’t forget binoculars and shoes! Unless you prefer to test the barefoot trail…
Take a seat in the chic Zwin Bistro
that Shelter offers regional, fresh and seasonal products. Fish from the North Sea, cheese from Bruges, ham from Polderland… In the afternoon it’s time for Brussels waffles and brown sugar donuts. Overall low prices.
The Shelter, Graaf Leon Lippensdreef 8, 8300 Knokke-Heist, Belgium. Such. +32 475 83 96 72.
PRACTICAL NOTEBOOK
Zwin Nature Park, Graaf Léon Lippensdreef 8, 8300 Knokke.
Zwin is open daily from 10am to 6pm in July and August. The schedule then changes with the seasons, but Zwin remains available every weekend. Online booking is recommended but not required. You choose your arrival time and then have access to the park all day.
Admission: €12 for adults, €6 for ages 6-17, free for children under 6.
[Initialement publié en 2020, cet article a fait l’objet d’une mise à jour.]
Source: Le Figaro
