Gouwe

The Gouwe is a channelized river in South Holland, the Netherlands. It runs in a north-south course from the Oude Rijn to the Hollandse IJssel. From Alphen aan den Rijn, wherein the Gouwe begins at the Gouw Locks, it flows thru Boskoop and Waddinxveen to Gouda. Here it splits into the old stream via the town and into the Gouwe Canal on the city's west side. The Gouwe was historically a part of the primary and prescribed delivery direction in Holland, connecting Dordrecht with Haarlem and afterward Amsterdam.

These towns, together with the Counts of Holland who amassed toll at Gouda and Spaarndam, maintained this association to the dissatisfaction of the cities Delft and Leiden which have been bypassed via this path. Today the Gouwe remains an critical transport direction. At the Oude Rijn, river journey can be continued north over the Aar Canal. It additionally functions as the primary water outlet for the Rijnland region. Three placing vertical raise bridges pass the Gouwe at Alphen aan den Rijn, Boskoop, and Waddinxveen.