A warehouse full of stuff, also from the 90s, all collected by Hermann Niemann

In the 1990s, the province of Groningen participated in one of the largest district development projects of the time: the Blauestad project. The area to the east of Groningen has now been transformed from farmland into a large lake with recreational opportunities and a brand new village. But how did this project come about?

After much discussion and planning, the province of Groningen came up with a plan in the 1990s to make eastern Groningen economically stronger. The area was suffering from high rates of unemployment at the time, so many residents were forced to move and agriculture was rarely used.

Two men, Jan Timmer and Wim Hasken, came up with a plan to build a lake to give the region a new economic boost. “The lake is good for recreation, people will live there, people will work there,” Jan van der Meed says of the plan. He was a correspondent for RTV Noord at the time and now works in the province of Groningen.

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“The two sat at the drawing table, drawing. Eventually, a plan was drawn up to build an 800-hectare lake. “At that time, the provincial government realized that something had to be done in the area to prevent this mass exodus and develop the area and make it more Attractive to tourists.

The plan entailed many uncertainties for residents of the villages surrounding the proposed lake. “Where does all this water come from?” “Will my house still stand?” People were faced with these kinds of questions at the time, explains van der Meade. Some even thought that the lake would only be built for rich people from abroad. Not even residents of eastern Groningen were allowed to go there.

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In order to realize the plan, farmers had to be bought out. Their land was needed to build the lake. Roads had to be rerouted as well. “It was a little annoying for some people, because they had to take an extra detour. A lot had been torn down, demolished and removed to create the lake,” says van der Meade. “But then, as it became clearer what it would look like, people became more “Enthusiasm.”

“Nowadays everyone feels good and proud,” says van der Meed. “The homes that were there have also become more valuable because of the lake and the beautiful neighborhoods surrounding it. All that doubt is now gone and people are now very proud of what is there.”

You can read more stories from the 90s in these blogs: