Meppel

Meppel prospered as an inland harbour for the peat of Drenthe. From the sixteenth century, peat was gathered and sent westwards along waterways leading through the Meppelerdiep to the Zuiderzee at Zwartsluis. Bargemen settled here in growing numbers, and the market served the surrounding region. The bailiff of Drenthe granted Meppel town rights in 1644; King Louis Napoleon granted them again in 1809. Its canals and quays reflected a livelihood closely tied to transport by water.