De Meije or Bodegraafse Meije is a village in the Dutch

Netherlands

The Netherlands is a constituent country of the Kingdom of the Netherlands, located mainly in North-West Europe and with several islands in the Caribbean. Mainland Netherlands borders the North Sea to the north and west, Belgium to the south, and Germany to the east, and shares maritime borders...

 province of South Holland

South Holland

South Holland is a province situated on the North Sea in the western part of the Netherlands. The provincial capital is The Hague and its largest city is Rotterdam.South Holland is one of the most densely populated and industrialised areas in the world...

 and has a second part, de Zegveld

Zegveld

Zegveld is a town in the Dutch province of Utrecht. It is a part of the municipality of Woerden, and lies about 5 km northwest of Woerden....

se or Stichtse Meije in the province of Utrecht

Utrecht (province)

Utrecht is the smallest province of the Netherlands in terms of area, and is located in the centre of the country. It is bordered by the Eemmeer in the north, Gelderland in the east, the river Rhine in the south, South Holland in the west, and North Holland in the northwest...

. The first is a part of the former municipality of Bodegraven

Bodegraven

Bodegraven is a town and former municipality in the western Netherlands, in the province of South Holland. The former municipality covers an area of 38.50 km² of which 1.02 km² is water....

, and lies about 7 km northwest of Woerden

Woerden

Woerden is a municipality and a city in the central Netherlands. Due to its central location between Amsterdam, Rotterdam, The Hague and Utrecht, and the fact that it has excellent rail and road connections to those cities, it is a popular town for commuters who work in those cities.-Population...

. The second is part of the municipality of Woerden

Woerden

Woerden is a municipality and a city in the central Netherlands. Due to its central location between Amsterdam, Rotterdam, The Hague and Utrecht, and the fact that it has excellent rail and road connections to those cities, it is a popular town for commuters who work in those cities.-Population...

. A third part, across the little river De Meije, belongs to the municipality Nieuwkoop

Nieuwkoop

Nieuwkoop is a town and municipality in the western Netherlands, in the province of South Holland. The municipality was enlarged on January 1, 2007, through the amalgamation of Liemeer and Ter Aar....

.

The Bodegraafse "Meije", which also includes the surrounding farmlands, has a population of around 420.

Village

In the village of De Meije are two elementary schools, a catholic church, and a pub that is often frequented by water tourists that use the small river (also called De Meije) that flows along the village. This water is connected to both the river Oude Rijn and the lake Nieuwkoopse Plassen.

Tower

The most remarkable building in de Meije is the tall grey water tower, called Het Potlood (the Pencil). It rises high above the flat polder area and can be seen from many towns and villages in the area.

External links

• google.com satellite photo showing the shadow cast by the water tower.