The Fivel was a historical river in the province of Groningen

Groningen (province)

Groningen [] is the northeasternmost province of the Netherlands. In the east it borders the German state of Niedersachsen , in the south Drenthe, in the west Friesland and in the north the Wadden Sea...

 in The Netherlands. It received its water from peat bogs around Kolham and Slochteren

Slochteren

Slochteren is a municipality in the northeastern Netherlands.The municipality can be characterized as a chain of small villages dividing a mostly agricultural landscape. Having an agricultural background for at least a thousand years, the community houses for the most part commuters to nearby...

, flowed past Woltersum, Wittewierum and Ten Post, and meander

Meander

A meander in general is a bend in a sinuous watercourse. A meander is formed when the moving water in a stream erodes the outer banks and widens its valley. A stream of any volume may assume a meandering course, alternately eroding sediments from the outside of a bend and depositing them on the...

ed north of Winneweer

Winneweer

Winneweer is a small village in the Dutch province of Groningen. It is located on the border of the municipalities Ten Boer and Loppersum....

. The Fivel debouched inte a wide estuary

Estuary

An estuary is a partly enclosed coastal body of water with one or more rivers or streams flowing into it, and with a free connection to the open sea....

 of the Wadden Sea

Wadden Sea

The Wadden Sea is an intertidal zone in the southeastern part of the North Sea. It lies between the coast of northwestern continental Europe and the range of Frisian Islands, forming a shallow body of water with tidal flats and wetlands. It is rich in biological diversity...

. The banks of this former estuary are still recognizable by rows of villages on artificial dwelling hill

Artificial dwelling hill

An artificial dwelling hill is a mound, created to provide safe ground during high tide and river floods....

s (wierden):

• on the east side Garrelsweer, Loppersum
  Loppersum
  Loppersum is a municipality and a town in the northeastern Netherlands in the province of Groningen.- Population centres :Eekwerd, Eekwerderdraai, Eenum, Fraamklap, Garrelsweer, Garsthuizen, Hoeksmeer, Honderd, Huizinge, Kolhol, Leermens, Loppersum, Lutjerijp, Lutjewijtwerd, Merum, Middelstum,...
  
  , Eenum, Leermens, and Godlinze
  Godlinze
  Godlinze is a town in the Dutch province of Groningen. It is a part of the municipality of Delfzijl, and lies about 24 km northeast of Groningen.In 2001, the town of Godlinze had 133 inhabitants...
  
  ;
• on the west side Stedum
  Stedum
  Stedum is# a village in the Dutch province of Groningen. It is located in the municipality of Loppersum, about 15 km northeast of the city of Groningen.#: Stedum was a separate municipality until 1990, when it was merged with Loppersum....
  
  , Middelstum
  Middelstum
  Middelstum is a village in the Dutch province of Groningen. It is located in the municipality of Loppersum.Middelstum was a separate municipality until 1990, when it was merged with Loppersum.-External links:* * *...
  
  , Kantens
  Kantens
  Kantens is a village in the Dutch province of Groningen. It is located in the municipality of Eemsmond, about 16 km north of the city of Groningen.Kantens was a separate municipality until 1990, when it became a part of Hefshuizen.-External links:*...
  
  , Rottum
  Rottum
  Rottum may refer to any of the following places:*Rottum , a small group of islands in the Netherlands, part of the West Frisian Islands*Rottum, Groningen, a village in province of Groningen, in the Netherlands...
  
  , and Usquert
  Usquert
  Usquert is a village in the Dutch province of Groningen. It is located in the municipality of Eemsmond.Usquert was a separate municipality until 1990, when it became part of Hefshuizen. After that, the name of the municipality was changed to Eemsmond in 1992....
  
  .

This was Fivelgo, one of the missionary districts assigned to Ludger

Ludger

Saint Ludger was a missionary among the Frisians and Saxons, founder of Werden Abbey and first Bishop of Münster in Westphalia....

 after Charlemagne

Charlemagne

Charlemagne was King of the Franks from 768 and Emperor of the Romans from 800 to his death in 814. He expanded the Frankish kingdom into an empire that incorporated much of Western and Central Europe. During his reign, he conquered Italy and was crowned by Pope Leo III on 25 December 800...

 had acquired Frisia

Frisia

Frisia is a coastal region along the southeastern corner of the North Sea, i.e. the German Bight. Frisia is the traditional homeland of the Frisians, a Germanic people who speak Frisian, a language group closely related to the English language...

 east of the Lauwers

Lauwers

The Lauwers is a river in the Netherlands. It forms part of the border between the provinces of Friesland and Groningen. From the 730's to Widukind's defeat in 785 it was part of the border of the Frankish Empire....

 in 785

785

Year 785 was a common year starting on Saturday of the Julian calendar. The article denomination 785 for this year has been used since the early medieval period, when the Anno Domini calendar era became the prevalent method in Europe for naming years...

.

In or shortly before the 11th century the Delf was dug, as an east-west waterway for navigation, and also for the drainage of the hinterland when the estuary was silting up. At Winneweer (Muda), the Fivel now discharged into the section of the Delf that became known as the Damsterdiep, running through Appingedam

Appingedam

- Population centres :Appingedam, Garreweer, Jukwerd, Laskwerd, Marsum, Oling, Opwierde, Solwerd, Tjamsweer.- Appingedam :Little is known about the exact age and origin of the name of Appingedam. It came into existence on the banks of the Delf, the present Damsterdiep, around 1200...

 and debouching at Delfzijl

Delfzijl

Delfzijl is a municipality and city in the northeast of the Netherlands. It is situated on the left bank of the river Ems estuary, which forms the border with Germany.-Population centres:...

. During the Middle Ages, the estuary was endiked bit by bit. The streambed of the Fivel is hardly visible anymore.