Univé Damster City Swim

The Univé Damster City Swim is an open water swimming race held in the historic canals of Appingedam, in the province of Groningen in the northern Netherlands. Organized annually on the second to last Saturday of June since 2022, the event draws open water swimmers into sheltered waters. The start takes place on the water behind the historic Nicolaïkerk, where swimmers enter in structured waves departing every few minutes. The event offers distances for all levels, anchored by a 3000-meter recreational swim as well as a 1000-meter relay for teams of three who share the long course. Young swimmers with formal diplomas compete across dedicated 250-meter or 500-meter distances tailored to their age. Late June brings comfortable river temperatures to the province of Groningen, offering smooth canal swimming without the turbulence of open coastal bays. Quaysides and bridges provide natural grandstands where local spectators line the banks to cheer swimmers along the waterway.

Damsterdiep: a canal cut before the year 1000

Geological and historical research reveals that the Damsterdiep was first excavated before the year 1000 to drain water from the low-lying hinterland toward the sea. Around 1100, the town of Appingedam took root along the earthen dikes flanking the Delf, as the canal was originally called. In its earliest centuries, the canal maintained an open connection to the sea and rose and fell with the tides. Wide meanders formed along the tidal bends, including the Tuikwerderrak loop near Delfzijl. This looping meander was formally severed from the Damsterdiep in 1874 by cutting a straight channel bed. Other connected artificial waterways fed the main channel, including De Groeve, which was dug shortly after 1300 to drain the lake of Schildmeer into the Damsterdiep.

The curved line of De Groeve followed an ancient natural stream known as the Olde Maar. Today, navigation and water flow along that feeder branch are maintained by two locks, Groevesluis Zuid and Groevesluis Noord, which regulate water levels against adjoining regional waterways.

From medieval sea trade to clay barges along the Delf

During the Middle Ages, the Delf bustled as an international commercial harbor rather than a quiet inland channel. Seagoing merchant ships moored along its quays to load and discharge cargo, connecting northern Groningen directly to trading ports in Scandinavia, Northern Germany, and Westphalia. By 1650, a towboat service was established on the canal between Groningen and Appingedam. Industrial activity flourished along the banks of the Damsterdiep, where tile works, lime kilns, shipyards, and brickworks relied on direct water access. Brick kilns depended on the canal to receive peat fuel from the Veenkoloniën bogs. Heavy marine clay was dug by hand from surrounding coastal deposits and transported by horse cart to the water's edge. Specialized narrow channels known as bolslooten were excavated and extended to allow Groningen bol barges to float finished bricks straight from the sheds.

Ekenstein and Vliethoven: country estates along the water

Beyond the working town quays, the Damsterdiep was once flanked by country estates that used the canal. About three kilometres along the water stands Vliethoven, one of the few surviving historical estates from that era, retaining its traditional orchard and two ponds. About four kilometres from the race course, the historical Ekenstein manor borders the canal edge. The relationship between coastal Groningen and the sea extends much deeper into antiquity. About five kilometres from Appingedam, Hunebed G5 was uncovered beneath an ancient dwelling mound, establishing it as the northernmost megalithic dolmen in the Netherlands. Built from six side boulders, three massive capstones, and a closing stone, the tomb suggests that early Funnelbeaker settlers first arrived along these shores by water.

The hanging kitchens and car-free quays of Appingedam

Back in the city center, Appingedam's most famous sight remains its trio of hanging kitchens jutting out over the canal. When the town's dense waterside warehouses were converted into homes, space along the narrow medieval lanes was too cramped for hearths, prompting builders to cantilever the kitchens directly over the water. Two slender footbridges cross the canal nearby, framing the view for passersby. The historic town center is entirely car-free, preserving quiet cobblestone lanes along the quays for post-race walks. Exploring the water by canoe or taking a trip aboard the Damsterveer tour boat gives visitors a close-up perspective from below. At the nearby marina in the Overdiep quarter, a pavilion with a wide outdoor terrace overlooks the pleasure moorings and medieval gables.

Five bronze sculptures of kissing couples dot the route between the modern marina and the old center, marking the easy stroll back to the canal banks. For open water swimmers, racing through Appingedam offers the rare pleasure of stroking across a thousand years of Dutch civil engineering right at water level.