From Lauwerszee to Lauwersmeer

Until 1969, salt water flowed freely through the creeks and channels here. Half a century later, the Lauwersmeer area is a beautiful National Park. Whilst that was not the reason for closing off the Lauwerszee, the spectacular result more than justified the difficult decision to tame the sea.

In the past, the effects of the tides used to reach right into the city of Groningen via the Reitdiep. This was usually not a problem, but sometimes it led to flooding. As early as 1600, there were plans to close off the lake. However, the substantial profits generated by shipping proved too great a financial hurdle. Things went wrong again, this time during the Christmas Flood of 1717, in which hundreds of people lost their lives. In response, the Dokkumerdiep was closed off with a lock, the Dokkumer Nieuwe Zijlen. The next stap in taming the sea was the closure of the Reitdiep at Zoutkamp. Since then, the tides have ceased to affect the city of Groningen.

The sea struck back hard, and not without consequences. Following the disaster caused by the 1953 storm surge in Zeeland, the decision to close off the Lauwerszee took concrete shape. It was a massive intervention. The closure would spell the end of the bustling fishing village of Zoutkamp. When Queen Juliana visited the village in 1969, the flag was even flown at half-mast. But Groningen is resilient. Zoutkamp soon became a colourful tourist attraction. Meanwhile, nature was left to take its course almost everywhere. With very little human intervention, a magnificent nature reserve featuring rare birds and plants emerged in no time at all. Wild Konik horses and Scottish Highland cattle even roam around the lake. Come and see for yourself what fresh water can do to the seabed.