The northern peat colonies

These are settlements that arose because workers migrated to an area where raised bog was excavated for the production of peat. They are frequently found in the region to the east of Groningen and Drenthe. Here lay the Bourtanger Moor, which was cultivated from around 1600. Most peat colonies are characterized by their elongated layout along a canal with ribbon development, for example, Valthermond, which in many cases has since been filled in, as in Nieuw Buinen and Eerste and Tweede Exloërmond. However, there are also peat colonies that did not arise along a canal, but along a road. This is particularly true for a number of peat colonies in Drenthe, such as Zuidlaarderveen, Eexterveen, Gieterveen, Drouwenerveen, Buinerveen, and Exloërveen.

Pieter Erauw