The Kardingermaar is a

maar A maar is a broad, low-relief volcanic crater caused by a phreatomagmatic eruption (an explosion which occurs when groundwater comes into contact with hot lava or magma). A maar characteristically fills with water to form a relatively shallow ...

(waterway) in the province of

Groningen Groningen (; gos, Grunn or ) is the capital city and main municipality of Groningen province in the Netherlands. The ''capital of the north'', Groningen is the largest place as well as the economic and cultural centre of the northern part of t ...

in the

Netherlands ) , anthem = ( en, "William of Nassau") , image_map = , map_caption = , subdivision_type = Sovereign state , subdivision_name = Kingdom of the Netherlands , established_title = Before independence , established_date = Spanish Netherl ...

. It is, for the most part, the border between the

municipalities A municipality is usually a single administrative division having corporate status and powers of self-government or jurisdiction as granted by national and regional laws to which it is subordinate. The term ''municipality'' may also mean the go ...

Bedum Bedum (; gos, Beem) is a former municipality and a town in the northeastern Netherlands. Populated by inhabitants in , Bedum is one of the larger of Groningen's several satellite towns. On 1 January 2019 it merged with the municipalities of De Ma ...

and

Ten Boer Ten Boer () is a village and a former municipality in the northeastern Netherlands, in the province of Groningen. The municipality had a population of in ; the village of Ten Boer has approximately 4,600 inhabitants. In 2019, it was merged into mu ...

History

It once formed the most important drainage of the ''Vierendeel'', the eastern part of the Innersdijken which transported its water to the North, to the Winsumerdiep at

Onderdendam Onderdendam is a village in Het Hogeland municipality in the province of Groningen, the Netherlands. It had a population of around 600 in January 2017. History The village is first mentioned in 1252 as "et ulderna domme". Even though it seemingl ...

. On the eastside there was a

portage Portage or portaging (Canada: ; ) is the practice of carrying water craft or cargo over land, either around an obstacle in a river, or between two bodies of water. A path where items are regularly carried between bodies of water is also called a ...

, named the ''Rollen'' which served as a shipping link with the Damsterdiep canal. The water is named after the ''Kardingereed''. The area west of the village of Sint-Annen. After a major reconstruction, performed during the mid-seventies of the twentieth century, the drainage was drastically improved. The region of the ''Vierendeel'' is combined with the area south of

and now drains off through the ''Harm Westerskanaal'' and the

pumping station Pumping stations, also called pumphouses in situations such as well drilling, drilled wells and drinking water, are facilities containing pumps and equipment for pumping fluids from one place to another. They are used for a variety of infrastru ...

''Casper Hommes'' on the

Boterdiep Boterdiep (Gronings: ''Botterdaip''; translation: Butter Deep) is a canal in the Province of Groningen in the Netherlands. It was intended for the inland navigation. The name relates to the dairy products transported through the canal. It used hav ...

just north of Zuidwolde. At the moment only the part between the railway-route Bedum - Stedum (there is a

culvert A culvert is a structure that channels water past an obstacle or to a subterranean waterway. Typically embedded so as to be surrounded by soil, a culvert may be made from a pipe, reinforced concrete or other material. In the United Kingdom ...

here) and the ''Harm Westerskanaal'' is called the Kardingermaar. The other parts all have different drain directions, and thus are considered separate waterways.

Structure

The part between the Damsterdiep and the ''Noordermolen'' is now called the ''Borgsloot boven de Rollen''. The part from the ''Noordermolen'' to the ''Langelandstermolen'' is now called ''Abbemaar''. The part after that, through the village of

Thesinge Thesinge (Gronings: ''Taisen'') is a village in the municipality of Groningen, in the Dutch province of Groningen. The Benedictine monastery of ''Germania'' was founded in Thesinge in 1205. History The village was first mentioned in 786 or 78 ...

is called the ''Thesingermaar'' and the part to the east of

is now called ''Geweide''. The non-drained part, north of the railway tracks is now named the ''Kardinger Buitenmaar'' (formerly known as ''Buitenmaar'') and ''Kromme Kardingermaar (formerly known as ''Krommaar''). They all preserve their original, local names. {{coord missing, Netherlands Landforms of Groningen (province) Waterways in the Netherlands