De Bretten, sometimes also called Lange Bretten, is a nature reserve in Amsterdam's Nieuw-West district, covering an area of 130 ha. The area is named after the Huis te Bretten, one of the country houses that stood along this canal. It was demolished for the construction of the first railway line from Amsterdam to Haarlem.
The area was left undeveloped as part of the 1935 General Development Plan, based on the ideas of town planner Cornelis van Eesteren. From the 1960s, the area was part of the heaped-up areas of the port of Amsterdam. However, as the area lay fallow for a long time, spontaneous development ensued, resulting in a rough green space.
At the western end of Lange Bretten lies the 30-hectare nature reserve De Kluut, which was created and managed by the North Holland Region in 2000. In 2008 the area was put under management by the Landschap Noord-Holland for a period of 25 years to convert it into a nature reserve. The area is freely accessible, and there are also some recreational facilities.
Source: Wikipedia