The demand for peat often led to careless water management. Peat pits filled with water. Protective embankments collapsed and isolated ponds became one large lake. This was how Swarte Broek Lake originated.
At one time the lake was much larger, stretching as far as the village of Munein. In the mid-19th century, part of the lake was drained and the land was reclaimed. The road across the land was built in the early 1950s. Up until then the area served as a waterway for shipping. Many traditional Dutch barges, known as ‘skûtsjes’, sailed along the Muneinstervaart waterway from Swarte Broek Lake to the village. Most of the boats brought wood and peat, but the annual summer fair also arrived by boat. There is also a geocache the area!
