Grenspaal Paal achter 't Zand | De Mortel

Post Achter 't Zand Old boundary post between Gemert and Bakel.

This boundary post is located in a drifting area, where it is very sandy. Here the Peel area precisely does not have the characteristics of a swamp. East of this ancient boundary between the former municipality of Gemert and the former municipality of Bakel and Milheeze is the Weijser Paal and west the Stippelberg Paal. The boundary posts form a straight line above the Stippelberg, where the border used to be. Probably the pole was so named because, seen from Bakel, this was the boundary pole that stood behind the "sand mountains" of the Stippelberg. At that time there were no trees anywhere here and the story went that during sand drifts towards Bakel it sometimes stormed up to the height of the windows of the church. The Bakel citizens and farmers brought the sand back together with carts. Sand drifts such as those also found in Handel were caused by an excess of grazing cattle and sod cutting that did not give the vegetation on the poor soil time to renew itself. The area was literally eaten bare.

Sources: J. Timmers, Langs de palen, 2002, Heemkundekring De Kommanderij, Gemert.