Zoutkamp

Zoutkamp was a fishing village at the mouth of the Reitdiep on the Lauwerszee, working the Wadden for shrimp, and in 1969 the sea inlet was dammed as a flood defence after the 1953 disaster, turning the Lauwerszee into the freshwater Lauwersmeer and cutting the harbour off from salt water. The fleet did not stop, but its harbour moved in 1969 to Lauwersoog on the new dam, and the old harbour at Zoutkamp now serves pleasure boats; fishing still carries the village, and the shrimp are sold and eaten here. The Reitdiepskade and the old fishermen's quarter, the Hoofdstraat area, have small brick houses painted in strong colours, which is the photographed part. There is a fishing museum and the Lauwersmeer national park beside it, with dark skies designated over the water and large numbers of geese in winter.

History

Zoutkamp is first mentioned in 1418 as Soltcampum, a name of salt and field that probably points to salt making. Fishers settled here in the 17th and 18th centuries; there were 25 houses by 1756, a harbour was built in 1828 and the church in 1836, and in 1969 the harbour moved to Lauwersoog when the Lauwersmeer was closed off (Wikipedia, Zoutkamp).

Highlights

• A shrimp fleet still working - from Lauwersoog, where the harbour moved in 1969.
• A coloured fishermen's quarter - small brick houses painted in strong colours.
• The 1969 dam - the sea inlet closed and turned into a freshwater lake.
• Lauwersmeer beside it - the national park with dark skies and winter geese.

When to go

April to October. Half a day.

Things to know

It is a working port, not a preserved village - processing sheds and boats rather than a picture. Small, an hour or two. Museum keeps limited hours. Public transport is by bus and infrequent.

Nearby

Lauwersoog and the Schiermonnikoog ferry are north; Pieterburen is east.

Key facts