Originated from a swamp

The name Zig has everything to do with sedge, and that 'says' a lot about the nature of the area, because most species say (a type of grass) grow in moist to very wet soil. The Zig once formed a large water and swamp area together with the Stamprooierbroek and 't Hasselterbroek. The Abeek flowed into a bowl and was locally up to a kilometer wide. The nature reserves Sint-Maartensheide, De Luysen, Mariahof and Grootbroek, which are managed by Natuurpunt and the Agency for Nature and Forest, also belonged to the same area. Normally, dead plant material is quickly broken down by the presence of oxygen and the action of bacteria. But in the swamps peat was created by the slow decomposition of plant residues in the water. In order to be able to extract the wet soils and thus combat food shortages, the municipalities had to drain the pants. For this purpose, the Lossing, a large drainage canal, was dug in the 19th century. The Lossing largely forms the northern border of the area. Right through De Zig runs the current Abeek.

Limburgs Landschap vzw