The Lauwersmeer

The Lauwersmeer is an artificial lake on the border of the provinces of Groningen and Friesland. It was created on May 23, 1969, by closing off the Lauwerszee. The main reason for this closure was safety. After the flood disaster of 1953, Rijkswaterstaat faced the choice of raising the dikes around the Lauwerszee to delta height or closing off the tidal inlet. Under pressure from the population, the latter was chosen. After the closure, the elevated seabeds were left dry. In the early years, large parts of these areas were largely abandoned, resulting in the creation of much nature. Along the old coastline, the former salt marshes were converted into agricultural land. Two villages were established: Lauwersoog with the neighborhood of Robbenoort and the holiday village of Suyderoogh.

The Lauwersmeer was initially a scoured valley, which was then filled in. Later, this slightly lower-lying area became an access for the sea towards the land and became a channel that carried water from sea to land and vice versa during ebb and flow.
The coastline used to extend to the city of Groningen, but due to siltation of the surrounding area, the sea clay area has been left dry.

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