Arkemheen is a historic polder located near Nijkerk. This area is one of the oldest polders in the Netherlands, with its drainage beginning in the late 14th century. The landscape of Arkemheen has been shaped over the centuries predominantly by agricultural practices, which involved the reclamation and drainage of land for farming purposes. This process was facilitated by the construction of a system of dykes and windmills, a characteristic feature of Dutch engineering.

The polder was created after Duke Reinoud III of Gelre granted the right to embank the area on 28 March 1356. The polder has retained much of its historical drainage structure and has not been subjected to the modernization that many other polders in the Netherlands have undergone. This preservation of its traditional agricultural landscape makes Arkemheen a unique window into the past, offering insights into the medieval methods of land reclamation and water management.

On the land side of the former sea dikes of the Zuiderzee there are pools and reed marshes, created by dike breaches. The last dike breach was in 1916.