Hoogezand

Hoogezand (Dutch pronunciation: [ˌɦoːɣəˈzɑnt]) is a town in the municipality of Midden-Groningen, in the province of Groningen in northeast Netherlands.

The name refers to a higher sanded (Hooge Sandt) place in the peatlands cut through when the Winschoterdiep channel was dug.

In the beginning the town was a center of peat briquettes producing.

When the peat ran out opened factories for cardboard and plants for potato processing .

On the shipyards the vessels are launched sideways, which is uncommon for slipways.

Satellite photo of the area