The earliest map of The Moeren (les Moëres), A° 1619
Augustyn, B. (2006). The earliest map of The Moeren (les Moëres), A° 1619. Published by the author(s): [s.l.]. 6, 1 map pp.
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| Trefwoorden |
Cartography
Historical account
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| Abstract |
Wherever peat was harvested in Flanders since the so-called Great Reclamation Period, i.e., the 12th and 13th centuries, the landscape was drastically changed. In The Moeren it was no different. Since prehistoric times, a deposit of high moor peat, several metres thick, had accumulated in the depression behind the dunes between Veurne (known in French as Furnes), Dunkerque (Dunkirk, in Dutch Duinkerke) and Bergues (in Dutch, Sint-Winoksbergen). This peat was harvested since the Late Middle Ages. In the treeless Flanders of that time, peat was an indispensable fuel, both for domestic use and for the urban and rural industries. The map reproduced here in colour is connected with the earliest diking of the area in 1619. |
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