Lauwersmeer National Park

The Lauwersmeer National Park is located in the north of the Netherlands, on the border of the provinces of Groningen and Friesland. The area was declared on 12 November 2003 to the National Park and comprises 9000 acres, of which approximately 6,000 hectares are under the State Forestry Administration of the Netherlands ( Staatsbosbeheer ). The lake is approximately 2,000 acres in size.

Previously, the Lauwerszee, a named after the river Lauwers bay, the Wadden Sea was open. After the flood of 1953, a dam was planned for fear of flooding, which was completed in 1969. The bay was named in a closed lake, Lauwersmeer, and the higher-lying ocean floor (the former Watt) was drained. The newly reclaimed land was left in the early years entirely himself, so that could establish typical for the area flora and fauna.

The area has a predominantly open character, but there is near Lauwersoog a forest called Ballastplaatbos and in the south near Dokkumer Nieuwe Zijlen the forest area Zomerhuisbos. Larger areas of the park are not accessible to the public, while the lake is open in its deeper areas for boats. The shallow lake and wetlands may not be visited for reasons of landscape protection.