Three rivers – the Beneden-Merwede, the Oude Maas and the Noord – converge at a point in South Holland, aptly named Drierivierenpunt, or the Three River Junction. In fact, it’s the busiest river junction in Europe. Three municipalities are located at this junction: Dordrecht, Papendrecht and Zwijndrecht. The individual city maps of these cities stop where the water begins: in other words, the maps don’t show what’s on the other side of the water. Thus each municipality literally doesn’t look beyond its own border, making the water more of a restrictive feature than a connecting one. ‘The Drierivierenpunt is a unique place, and there is now a joint plan to further develop the area and connect locations with each other,’ says Nicole op de Laak, head of Spatial Development Department of the municipality of Papendrecht and chair of the ‘netwerk fysiek’ management team for the Drechtsteden region. ‘Now that we’ve reached that point, the trick is to take the next important steps.’
‘The location on the junction of three rivers makes the Drechtsteden truly unique,’ Nicole says. ‘The area has many qualities: the presence of the water; the near proximity of cultural-historic heritage such as Kinderdijk and the historic centre of Dordrecht; the fact that it is situated next to the Biesbosch national park; the other centres with their own quality of life and housing; the maritime industry; and a good public transport system on the water. There are many options for enhancing the banks of the Drierivierenpunt for the purposes of living, working and recreation. This potential, however, is still untapped. There are several reasons for this. In many areas there is soil contamination, heavy industry and agreements with parties that have development rights. That often complicates the development of projects on the banks. But there are also excellent examples of something special arising. One example is the construction of a hotel-restaurant in a former water tower in Dordrecht. Named ‘Villa Augustus’, it is now a unique gem in the Drierivierenpunt. The Energiehuis, a cultural centre housed in a former power plant, and the movie theatre were added at a later stage. The development of these amenities has substantially enhanced the quality of time people spend on the banks.’
