The Lauwers () is a

river A river is a natural stream of fresh water that flows on land or inside Subterranean river, caves towards another body of water at a lower elevation, such as an ocean, lake, or another river. A river may run dry before reaching the end of ...

in the

Netherlands , Terminology of the Low Countries, informally Holland, is a country in Northwestern Europe, with Caribbean Netherlands, overseas territories in the Caribbean. It is the largest of the four constituent countries of the Kingdom of the Nether ...

. It forms part of the border between the provinces of

Friesland Friesland ( ; ; official ), historically and traditionally known as Frisia (), named after the Frisians, is a Provinces of the Netherlands, province of the Netherlands located in the country's northern part. It is situated west of Groningen (p ...

and

Groningen Groningen ( , ; ; or ) is the capital city and main municipality of Groningen (province), Groningen province in the Netherlands. Dubbed the "capital of the north", Groningen is the largest place as well as the economic and cultural centre of ...

. From the 730s to

Widukind Widukind, also known as Wittekind and Wittikund, was a leader of the Saxons and the chief opponent of the Frankish king Charlemagne during the Saxon Wars from 777 to 785. Charlemagne ultimately prevailed, organized Saxony as a Frankish provinc ...

's defeat in 785, it was part of the border of the

Frankish Empire The Carolingian Empire (800–887) was a Frankish-dominated empire in Western and Central Europe during the Early Middle Ages. It was ruled by the Carolingian dynasty, which had ruled as kings of the Franks since 751 and as kings of the Lomba ...

. The former

Lauwerszee Lauwersmeer () is a man-made lake in the north of the Netherlands, on the border of the provinces of Groningen and Friesland. The lake was formed on 23 May 1969, when the dike between the bay called Lauwers Sea and the Wadden Sea was closed. It i ...

and the present-day

Lauwersmeer Lauwersmeer () is a man-made lake in the north of the Netherlands, on the border of the provinces of Groningen and Friesland. The lake was formed on 23 May 1969, when the dike between the bay called Lauwers Sea and the Wadden Sea was closed. It i ...

are both named after the river, which as a small stream has its source southeast of the village of

Surhuisterveen Surhuisterveen () is the largest of the 12 villages of the municipality of Achtkarspelen, in the province of Friesland, the Netherlands. As of 1 January 2017, Surhuisterveen had a population of 5,929. General information The village was first ...

. Near

Gerkesklooster Gerkesklooster () is a village in Achtkarspelen in the province of Friesland, the Netherlands. It forms, together with Stroobos, the double village Gerkesklooster-Stroobos. The double village had a population of around 1144 in 2017, with 812 in G ...

Stroobos Stroobos () is a village in Achtkarspelen in the province of Friesland, the Netherlands. The settlement of Stroobos used to be divided between Friesland and Groningen. In 1993, the entire village was transferred to Friesland. It forms, together wi ...

, it crosses the Prinsesmargrietkanaal/

Van Starkenborgh Canal The Van Starkenborgh Canal () is a canal in Groningen (province), Groningen that connects the Prinses Margriet Canal with the Eems Canal. The canal is suitable for Classification of European Inland Waterways, CEMT-Class Va (barges up tp 2,500t), ...

. The Lauwers achieves the width of a true river at the place that it gains its tributary, the Oude Vaart, near the Schalkendam. Further along its course, the Lauwers splits into two branches, the Frisian

Oude Lauwers Awadh (), known in British Raj historical texts as Avadh or Oudh, is a historical region in northern India and southern Nepal, now constituting the North-central portion of Uttar Pradesh. It is roughly synonymous with the ancient Kosala Regio ...

and the Zijldiep, in

province. The Lauwers meets the sea at the

Wadden Sea The Wadden Sea ( ; ; or ; ; ; ) is an intertidal zone in the southeastern part of the North Sea. It lies between the coast of northwestern continental Europe and the range of low-lying Frisian Islands, forming a shallow body of water with tida ...

, emptying into a channel between the islands of

Schiermonnikoog Schiermonnikoog (; ) is an island, a municipality and national park in the Northern Netherlands. Schiermonnikoog is one of the West Frisian Islands, and is part of the province of Friesland. It is situated between the islands of Ameland and Rot ...

and Rottumerplaat/Rottumeroog, which can be viewed as the continuation of the river. File:Muntsjesyl.JPG, Lauwers River

References

{{Netherlands-river-stub

References

See also