Musselkanaal

History

The Bourtange moor was located in the south-east of Groningen. It was a raised bog with few inhabitants. Around 1600, corporations started to exploit the peat. In 1635, the city of Groningen took control, and established the , as a colony. The colony had advanced to Stadskanaal where it ended due to a border conflict with the province of Drenthe. In 1615, the border had been defined by the Semslinie, and the village and monastery of Ter Apel was assigned to Drenthe. In 1817, the line was modified with the so-called Koningsraai which assigned Ter Apel to Groningen. In 1819, Groningen started extending the in a south-eastern direction close to the provincial border. The canal was initially called Stads-Musselkanaal and contains two bends due to the Koningsraai. In 1850, the canal was renamed . Musselkanaal is a linear settlement, and contains five side-canals along which houses were built. There is a large park and sports ground in the south of the town. The Horstenerbos, a forest area, is located on the northern side. The peat extraction resulted in an immigration from neighbouring Germany. Many of the immigrants were Catholics, and in 1843, a Catholic church was built in Zandberg. In 1903, a parish was established in Musselkanaal. The town used to be part of the municipality of Onstwedde, but was merged into Stadskanaal in 1968.