Tour of Zwartsluis and Zwarte Water

Your walk starts with a cup of coffee at Hotel Zwartewater. First, you enjoy the beautiful views over the bird-rich floodplains at the Zwarte Water. The name of the water has nothing to do with the color black. It is derived from the word'zwet\\\', which means border. In old documents, the river is also called Ons Water or the"water that goes to the sea\\\". The Zwarte Water was of great importance for the development of the Hanseatic city of Zwolle: it connected the city with the sea and the other Hanseatic cities. Zwartsluis is a picturesque village that lies at the point where the Zwarte Water and the Meppelerdiep meet. The village was once the transit port for the transport of Drenthe peat to Holland.