Watum's Bend

Sunrise at Watum's Bend near Hoogwatum, Groningen, The Netherlands.

Watum's Bend (Bocht van Watum) is the waterway on the Eems near the village of Bierum in the province of Groningen. Throughout history, this area has been flooded several times. At this location, there used to be a village called Watum, built on an artificial dwelling hill (wierde in Dutch). The village has disappeared and the current sea dike was built on top of the dwelling hill that remained. The area behind the dike is known as Hoogwatum and has a farm with the same name.

The breakwater in this shot is part of the current system of dikes and breakwaters, designed to keep the province of Groningen dry. A large part of Groningen is below sea level and could flood easily...

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