The Land van Leeghwater is a merging of two former municipalities: Graft-De Rijp and Schermer, now the municipality of Alkmaar. It is a real North Holland landscape, with green polders, numerous waterways and high dikes. Restored windmills, stately stolp farmhouses with pretty farmyards and picturesque villages continuously alternate with each other. There is a rich variety of flora and fauna.

There are two world heritage sites in the area:
De Beemster monument of 17th century landscape design and De Stelling van Amsterdam around Amsterdam.