Openlandschappen

Openlandschappen is a Dutch term used to describe open landscapes, primarily within the Netherlands and its surrounding regions. The word combines open and landschap (landscape), and the plural form is openlandschappen. In geographic and planning discourse, it denotes landscape typologies with broad horizons, low density of built form, and a mosaic of agricultural, water, and natural elements arranged in a largely permeable pattern.

The term is used across disciplines, including geography, landscape architecture, rural planning, and cultural commentary, as well as in photography and art to evoke the experience of unconfined space. Common characteristics include long views, restrained human footprint, regular land-use boundaries, and features such as hedgerows, dikes, canals, and floodplains that maintain ecological connectivity.

In the Netherlands, openlandschappen are linked to historical land and water management systems and to ongoing discussions about preserving open space amid housing growth and agricultural modernization. They function as a reference category in planning policies that seek to balance agricultural use, nature conservation, and public accessibility.

Related terms include open space, open landscape, and landscape ecology. The usage of openlandschappen varies by discipline and context, and there is no single canonical definition. Cultural representations of rural life and national landscape identity often draw on the concept to describe the distinctive feel of open, expansive spaces in Dutch landscape discourse.