Dutch term – Ruilverkaveling

Ruilverkaveling means to trade plots of land to consolidate land ownership.

At the beginning of the 20th century, land ownership was fragmented. Larger plots were easier to work with machines. As mechanization of agriculture increased, so did the demand to consolidate the small plots in larger plots.

The first ruilverkaveling took place on the island of Ameland in 1916. Generations of estate divisions among several heirs had resulted in tiny plots. In one part of Ameland, 119 owners owned 3600 plots, together only 190 hectares (469 acres) large. It was impossible to farm these small plots efficiently. Neighbors had to constantly walk over each other’s plots to get to their own. Surveyors of the Cadaster reorganized the properties into 219 plots, all reachable from the road.

Ruilverkavelingen also improved safety. By consolidating the plots, farmers no longer had to cross the railroad or a major road to go from one plot to another.

If you are doing research in cadastral records and you notice that suddenly your ancestors owned different plots than they did before, a ruilverkaveling may explain what happened.

Ruilverkaveling in the Zuidpolder in Groningen, 1970-1979. Credits: Groninger Archieven (public domain)