Musselkanaal

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 Groninger Peat Colonies, as a colony.[3][4] The colony had advanced to Stadskanaal where it ended due to a border conflict with the province of Drenthe.[5] 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.[6]

In 1819, Groningen started extending the Stadskanaal 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.[5] The village was named after the canal.[7] 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.[8]

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.[7] It used to have a railway line and train station. In 1955, the line closed for passengers, and for goods in 1990. In 1992, the section Veendam–Stadskanaal–Musselkanaal was bought by STAR which operates a museum line with steam trains.[9][10] The town used to be part of the municipality of Onstwedde, but was merged into Stadskanaal in 1968.[7]

• Jannes Munneke (born 1949), a rower who competed at the 1972 Summer Olympics[11]
• Sienie Strikwerda (1921–2013), educator, feminist and anti–nuclear weapons activist[12]

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  De IJzeren Klap (bridge)
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  Protestant church
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  The fifth lock
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  Unused railway line (2014)