If you walk east along the river from the Groothoofdspoort you eventually round a bend and come face to face with what looks unmistakably like a giant wooden ship sitting in the water — Johan's Ark, a one-to-one re-creation of Noah's Ark built by a Dutch creationist carpenter named Johan Huibers. Inside it has been turned into a religious theme park: life-size models of biblical animals, an auditorium, a small zoo with live goats and donkeys, a restaurant and a chapel.
The Ark divides opinion sharply. Treat it as theology and it is unconvincing; treat it as a folk-art object and it is genuinely impressive — the carpentry is real, the scale is uncomfortable, and the fact that it floats and was once towed to Brazil and back gives it a certain monumental dignity. It is a clear sight from the water and a curious detour by foot or bike along the Merwede.