Provincie Groningen Favorite Tips by RENE_CARDOEN Top 5 Page for this destination

The world is flat

Favorite thing: The province of Groningen is flat as flat can be. Only the dykes built along the coastline, witch have an elevation between 5 and 10 metres above sea level, can be seen from miles away.

Fondest memory: Fivelgo:
Derived from the local river Fivel.
Wierden :
To understand the explanation of the word “Wierden” we’ll have to go back to the Iron Age, about 700 BC. At that time farmers of Drenthe moved to the north (Groningen) because of the rich pastureland. They settled down on top of the highest sandbanks to protect themselves against the sea, witch now and then over flew the lower parts of the plain. The people rose up these banks by hand and built houses and churches on it. In this area most of the villages are built on “Wierden” or “Terpen” (synonym).
As you can see on the picture the "Terpen" or "Wierden" are almost circular and rise up to 9 m above sea level.