Moddergat is a fishing village in

Noardeast-Fryslân Noardeast-Fryslân () is a municipality of Friesland in the northern Netherlands. It was established 1 January 2019 and consists of the former municipalities of Dongeradeel, Ferwerderadiel and Kollumerland en Nieuwkruisland, all three of which ...

in the province 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 ...

, 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 had a population of around 221 in January 2017. Before 2019, the village was part of the

Dongeradeel Dongeradeel (; ) is a former municipality in the northern Netherlands. In 2019 it merged with the municipalities of Ferwerderadiel and Kollumerland en Nieuwkruisland to form the new municipality Noardeast-Fryslân. History Dongeradeel was cr ...

municipality. The name of the village means 'mud hole' in

Dutch Dutch or Nederlands commonly refers to: * Something of, from, or related to the Netherlands ** Dutch people as an ethnic group () ** Dutch nationality law, history and regulations of Dutch citizenship () ** Dutch language () * In specific terms, i ...

and in West Frisian. Moddergat is twinned with

Peazens Peazens is a village in Noardeast-Fryslân in the province of Friesland, the Netherlands. It has a population of around 242 in January 2017. Before 2019, the village was part of the Dongeradeel municipality. There is a restored windmill in the vi ...

, and they are often referred to as "Peazens-Moddergat". In 1883, 17 of the 22 ships of Moddergat were lost at sea during a storm killing 83 fishermen. In 1958, a monument was placed on the sea dike in their honour. In 2004,

NCRV NCRV (Nederlandse Christelijke Radio Vereniging) (English: Dutch Christian Radio Association) was a public radio and television broadcaster in the Netherlands, mostly transmitting on NPO 1 and NPO 2. On 1 January 2014, NCRV merged with KRO to f ...

television organized a competition for most beautiful place in the Netherlands. Moddergat came in second after

Weerribben-Wieden National Park Weerribben-Wieden National Park ( Dutch: ''Nationaal Park Weerribben-Wieden'') is a Dutch national park in the Steenwijkerland and Zwartewaterland municipalities in the Overijssel province. Comprising the largest bog of Northwestern Europe, the ...

History

The village was first mentioned in 1718 as Modde gat, and is supposed to mean "muddy pool". The village of

was founded first on the new dike along 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 ...

. Moddergat was founded later from Peazens, and used to consist of two hamlets: De Kamp and De Oere. The

Reformed Church Reformed Christianity, also called Calvinism, is a major branch of Protestantism that began during the 16th-century Protestant Reformation. In the modern day, it is largely represented by the Continental Reformed Christian, Presbyterian, ...

was built in 1912 with a wooden tower. In 1840, Moddergat was home to 220 people. Moddergat used to belong to the municipality of Westdongeradeel and Peazens to Oostdongeradeel. In 1983, the municipalities merged.

Activities

Museum 't Fiskershúske consists of four fishermen's houses, the oldest of which is from 1794, and gives a display of the life and history of the fishers in Moddergat. Moddergat is one of the starting points for ''wadlopen'' (

mudflat hiking Mudflat hiking (, , West Frisian: ''Waadrinnen'', ) is a recreation enjoyed in the Netherlands, northwest Germany, Denmark, England and France. Mudflat hikers are people who, with the aid of a tide table, use a period of low water to walk and wad ...

). At

low tide Tides are the rise and fall of sea levels caused by the combined effects of the gravitational forces exerted by the Moon (and to a much lesser extent, the Sun) and are also caused by the Earth and Moon orbiting one another. Tide tables c ...

, it is possible to walk to the island 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 ...

. Mudflat hiking is potentially dangerous, and is only allowed under the supervision of a licensed guide.

Gallery

File:Boethuisje De Oere Moddergat.jpg, , place to leave the fishing nets File:Moddergat (NL) - panoramio (10).jpg, House in Moddergat File:Moddergat, monumint op seedyk.jpg, Fisher's monument File:HDR sunset.jpg, Sunset on the

References

External links

{{Authority control Noardeast-Fryslân Populated coastal places in the Netherlands Populated places in Friesland Fishing communities