North-eastern polders

A large part of Groningen used to be water or was flooded too often for it to be used properly. The solution of Groningen residents was to roll up their sleeves, reclaim the land and dyke it in. Take in the extensive horizon of the flat countryside during a bicycle ride through the north-eastern polders of Groningen.

The soil in the Carel Coenraadpolder is particularly fertile and Groningen residents were extremely interested in using the area near the Dollard. Halfway along the dyke is a monument that reads: ‘Gain diek, gain laand, gain leev’n’ (No dyke, no land, no life). Your bicycle ride through the area takes in small working class cottages and giant farmhouses at regular intervals. The prosperity gap in this area was and is almost tangible here. There were once barracks with a turbulent history located where the Ambonezenbosje is now. Every few years they were given another function, and today this is a Tourist Transfer Point where various routes come together.

South and east of the Carel Coenraadpolder is the Reiderwoldepolder. This 1,500-hectare polder constitutes an infinite and panoramic landscape where you can only distinguish a few signs of life at the horizon. Grain grows well here, but the cut-offs in the inner dykes show that nothing can be taken for granted. Roads have been laid out through the openings in the dyke, but the cut-offs are closed whenever the water is extremely high.