Gasselternijveen used to be a shipping town
It was thanks to the transportation of turf (peat) from the area that Gasselternijveen developed into a village of ships’ captains. The skippers in the village carried their cargo via the Stadskanaal to the fuel merchants in the west of the country. In 1881 Gasselternijveen numbered at least 67 captains among its inhabitants.
The fourth sea port in the Netherlands
After the turf transport came to an end, the skippers in Gasselternijveen bought small sea-going vessels and specialized in the coastal trade. Successfully, because in 1913, in terms of the number of ships registered, Gasselternijveen was the fourth sea port in the Netherlands after Rotterdam, Groningen and Amsterdam …
Little remains…
Today there is not much left to remind you of the glorious shipping history of Gasselternijveen. The once busy harbour has been filled in and only the gravestones on the old cemetery keep telling the story f the rich past.
Location data
Coordinates: 52°59’10.5″N 6°50’47.5″E
