Lauwersmeer

Infobox lake
lake_name = Lauwersmeer
image_lake = Satellite image of Lauwersmeer, Netherlands (6.21E 53.36N).png caption_lake = Satellite image
image_bathymetry =
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location = Groningen, Friesland
coords = coord|53|23|N|6|11|E|type:waterbody_region:NL|display=inline,title
type = artificial lake
inflow = Lauwers River
outflow = Wadden Sea
catchment =
basin_countries = Netherlands
length =
width =
area =
depth =
max-depth =
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residence_time =
shore =
elevation =
islands =
cities = Marnewaard

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 1969-05-23, when the dike between the bay called "Lauwers Sea" and the Wadden Sea was closed.

On the eastern shores of the Lauwersmeer is the Marnewaard, an exercise area of the Royal Netherlands Army. The central and eastern parts of the lake became Lauwersmeer National Park, a national park, on 2003-11-12.

History

The Lauwers Sea (in Dutch: "Lauwerszee") was formed by a flood in 1280, and named after the river Lauwers, which flows along the border between the provinces of Groningen and Friesland. During the flood the mouth of the Lauwers river disappeared, and its tributaries the Reitdiep, the Dokkumerdiep, and the Ee flowed directly into the new bay. Many plans were made after this disaster to shut it off from the sea but none were ever put into effect. However, parts of it were empoldered piecemeal, slowly reducing it from a large two-forked estuary to the nearly-square inlet seen on recent maps.

In 1960, following the flood disaster of 1953, the government decided that it was now time to drain the Lauwerszee, and began with a km to mi|13 long dike with sluices and a canal lock. A new harbour called Lauwersoog was built part-way along the dike. Final enclosure and separation from the Wadden Sea took place on 25 May 1969; since then it has been called Lauwersmeer.

New flora and fauna appeared as the Lauwerszee gradually became a freshwater lake, and to protect this new and young nature area, it was decided (12 November 2003) to designate the Lauwersmeer as a national park. The ferry to Schiermonnikoog that had previously departed from Oostmahorn now leaves from Lauwersoog.

There is a lack of agreement about whether to spell the name as "Lauwersee" or "Lauwerszee". Some older maps show it as "Lauwerzee".