The Groningen Archives select a photo from the press photo collection every week and write about the story behind it. This week: filling in the Oude Winschoterdiep.
Hanging on their bicycle handlebars or standing in the tall roadside grass, residents of Sappemeer watch an event that will change the face of the village forever. The Oude Winschoterdiep is being filled in. From its construction in the 17th century, it was of vital importance for transport in East Groningen. Due to the digging of a much wider deep behind the village and the rise of road transport, the ‘olle daip’ became redundant in the 1950s.
From that moment on, many old deeps in the Peat Colonies were filled in. Industry is prospering at the new deeps and local residents are no longer bothered by the stench that arose from the old ones. It was heavily polluted by the discharge of waste water by the same industry. Only a few with a sense of history rebel against the dampening.
Nowadays, more people think dampening is a waste. As a result, filled-in parts of Oosterdiep in Veendam have been partly reconstructed in recent years to restore the atmosphere of yesteryear. The residents of Sappemeer can indulge their historical interests in rural areas. The Achterdiep and the Tripscompagniesterdiep have remained unchanged.
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