Haven van Zoutkamp
What once began as a small fortified settlement grew into a fishing village with its own large fishing fleet. Nowadays, you’ll mainly see pleasure boats moored there, but the atmosphere of a genuine fishing harbour still remains.
Until the end of the nineteenth century, the city of Groningen suffered greatly from the tides. This was remedied by closing off the Reitdiep from the Lauwerszee. With the construction of the Afsluitdijk, Zoutkamp gained both an inner and an outer harbour. The inner harbour now serves as a marina. Whereas in the 1960s there were still 35 shrimp cutters moored there, you now see mainly pleasure boats. Every year at Whitsun, the entire fishing fleet returns to welcome the new Shrimp Queen.