later became a Dutch Reformed congregation, and had its own church council and preacher. The Aartswoud Catholics fell under the mission of Hoogwoud. Population The statistical area "Aartswoud", which also can include the surrounding countryside, has a population of around 490. Earlier counts typically combine Aartswoud with Hoogwoud. Hoogwoud and Aartswoud, combined 1457 (1841) 1460+ (1844) 2091 (1875) Nature reserves and other attractions The village is home to a cattle museum, whose mission is to save older varieties of cattle from extinction. Nearby is the windmill Westuit Nr. 7, also known as Koggemolen. Three nature reserves near the village, the Weelpolder, the Braakpolder, and Kolk van Dussen, are governed by Landschap Noord-Holland. Weelpolder The Weelpolder nature reserve is adjacent to the village. Braakpolder Aartswoud gives access to the Braakpolder (braak, "breach", points to its origin; it results from a former breach in the dike). The Braakpolder is now a nature reserve, and farmers who rent this land are obliged to keep the land as natural as possible, and may for instance mow the grassland only after the chicks of wading birds such as the Northern lapwing have flown. The Braakpolder is one of a dozen or so of the most important archeological locations in the province, with remains as old as 2500 BCE. To safeguard them the water level was raised, to create a more oxygen-poor environment that prolongs their existence. South of the Braakpolder is an area called Braakpolder Zuid, which was set up to function as an overflow in times of high water. Kolk van Dussen Nearby is the Kolk van Dussen; the kolk also owes its existence to a breach in the dike, later repaired. In 1640 the entire Kolk was diked in: the reed growing in it belonged to the churches of Aartswoud and Hoogwoud (the Kolk was in the separate municipality of Hoogwoud, which merged with Opmeer in 1979). The soil level in the reed grounds had risen more than a foot and a half above the surrounding land, and thus the reed harvest became less each year, the reed being a source of income for the churches. They asked to be allowed to polder in the entire area, and despite protests from the other landowners (who would have to sell their land to the province and would also have been responsible for payments to maintain the dike) the Kolk was surrounded by a dike—the