Characteristic locks

This file contains watercourses (mares and ditches) of the province. In the vast weed landscape, the mares wind around the villages to unlock them through the water. The mares form the basis for the characteristic irregular blocking, as still recognizable in Middag Humsterland, the Reitdiep, near Middelstum and in the area north of Appingedam and Delfzijl. In this ancient salt marsh landscape, the preservation of small scale is paramount, characterised by irregularly shaped plots separated by curved locks. These locks emphasise the plotting. Other locks from their natural origin are associated with other locks and/or watercourses. Of these former locks, only the relief is still present in the form of layers in the landscape. Over the centuries successive series of open polders have been created on the Wadden coast, separated by parallel dikes. The rising plot perpendicular to the dikes gives a clear picture of the mining history. This is reflected in the lock pattern along the coast and in the Fivel bosom. The valuable stretching plot consists of a regular pattern of (very) elongated plots separated by locks and agricultural access roads that make the historical right of extension visible.