Until the beginning of the last century, the Oude Landen was part of the extensive Scheldt polders north of Antwerp. The area was probably conquered from the river during the first embankments in the eleventh century. A fact from which it derives its name 'oudland'. The rapid expansion of the port of Antwerp in a northerly direction and the development of an extensive railway complex took big bites out of the polders. The fact that the Oude Landen escaped is due to the armed forces that took over the area as a military training ground just before the Second World War.
In the meantime, urbanization spread around the Oude Landen. Today, the nature reserve is enclosed by the residential core of Ekeren and the high-rise districts of Luchtbal and Rozemaai.
The Wetlands of Oude Landen take you along the winding Oudelandse Beek, whimsically shaped reed beds with flowery grasslands, willow thickets and swampy alder forest in between. They are the main natural ingredients for this unique landscape.
The ditches and ditches bear witness to the efforts made by the polder farmers in previous centuries to get rid of the 'flooding'.
The Wetlands are part of the grazing area of a small herd of Galloway cattle.
They ensure the preservation of the semi-open landscape. They are gentle animals that you really don't have to be afraid of.