Gasselternijveen was ooit een belangrijk schippersdorp
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 …
Location data
Coordinates: 52°59’10.5″N 6°50’47.5″E
