Blauwestad

What to do if the wealth a region once obtained through grain cultivation has evaporated and unemployment is becoming a serious issue? You roll up your sleeves and build a completely new village. The fields filled with grain that were once there have been transformed into a beautiful residential area surrounded by a big lake and a characteristic nature reserve. The residents of Blauwestad all either have designed their homes themselves or hired others to design it for them. The result: architectural highlights alongside the water.

From communism to cultural heritage that is becoming increasingly popular: the Oldambt region has plenty of examples of plans and ideas that go against the stream. After all, sensible wilfulness runs through these people’s blood, and devising a project like the Blauwestad as a solution for an image problem is actually the only proper attitude. The village by the newly to be excavated lake was to attract wealthier inhabitants to the region, combat shrinkage and brighten up the entire atmosphere.

Done as stated. An 800-hectare hole was dug, and in 2005 Queen Beatrix turned on the tap, allowing approximately 14 million cubic metres of water to run into the Oldambtmeer lake. Today, the wind creates blue waves where yellow grain once swayed in the wind and people often walk or cycle through the nature reserve. In addition, the Oldambtmeer is great for a boat trip when the weather is nice. Hire a sloop, motorboat, sailing boat or canoe at the marina. All in all, this is a wonderful example of Groningen pragmatism.