Alblasserwaard river
Molenaarsgraaf is a village in the Dutch province of South Holland. It is a part of the municipality of Molenlanden, and lies about 11 km west of Gorinchem.
In 2001, the village of Molenaarsgraaf had 414 inhabitants. The built-up area of the village was 0.041 km², and contained 143 residences. The statistical area "Molenaarsgraaf", which also can include the peripheral parts of the village, as well as the surrounding countryside, has a population of around 1110.
Molenaarsgraaf was a separate municipality until 1986, when it became part of Graafstroom.] Latterly it has been part of Molenwaard since 2013.
As the name implies, the Graafstroom is actually a dug canal, in the Dutch municipality of Molenlanden (province of South Holland), between Vuilendam and Hofwegen with a length of 6 kilometers. In the Middle Ages, the middle of the Alblasserwaard was a raised moor area that was difficult to reach and therefore only developed later. In the second half of the 13th century, a connection was made between two peat rivers: the Goudriaan and the Alblas. The former upper course of the Alblas was thus straightened out. The Graafstroom, after which the former municipality of Graafstroom was named, turns into the Alblas between Bleskensgraaf and Oud-Alblas, at the height of the Wijngaardeseweg. West of Oud-Alblas, the Alblas has a large bend to the north and back to the south, which is cut off by the Nauwe Alblas. The river eventually flows into the North at Alblasserdam.