The Lauwers is a river

River

A river is a natural watercourse, usually freshwater, flowing towards an ocean, a lake, a sea, or another river. In a few cases, a river simply flows into the ground or dries up completely before reaching another body of water. Small rivers may also be called by several other names, including...

 in the Netherlands

Netherlands

The Netherlands is a constituent country of the Kingdom of the Netherlands, located mainly in North-West Europe and with several islands in the Caribbean. Mainland Netherlands borders the North Sea to the north and west, Belgium to the south, and Germany to the east, and shares maritime borders...

. It forms part of the border between the provinces of Friesland

Friesland

Friesland is a province in the north of the Netherlands and part of the ancient region of Frisia.Until the end of 1996, the province bore Friesland as its official name. In 1997 this Dutch name lost its official status to the Frisian Fryslân...

 and 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...

. From the 730

730

Year 730 was a common year starting on Sunday of the Julian calendar. The denomination 730 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.- Europe :* Charles Martel defeats the last independent...

's to Widukind

Widukind

Widukind was a pagan Saxon leader and the chief opponent of Charlemagne during the Saxon Wars. Widukind was the leader of the Saxons against the Frankish king Charlemagne...

's defeat 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...

 it was part of the border of the Frankish Empire

Frankish Empire

Francia or Frankia, later also called the Frankish Empire , Frankish Kingdom , Frankish Realm or occasionally Frankland, was the territory inhabited and ruled by the Franks from the 3rd to the 10th century...

.

The former Lauwerszee and the present-day Lauwersmeer

Lauwersmeer

Lauwersmeer is a man-made lake in the north of the Netherlands, on the border of the provinces of Groningen and Friesland. The lake was formed on 1969-05-23, when the dike between the bay called "Lauwers Sea" and the Wadden Sea was closed....

 are both named after the river, which as a small stream has its source southeast of the village of Surhuisterveen

Surhuisterveen

Surhuisterveen is one of the 12 villages of the municipality of Achtkarspelen, Province Friesland, The Netherlands. As of 1 January 2010, Surhuisterveen had a population of 5,865 ....

. Near Gerkesklooster

Gerkesklooster

Gerkesklooster is a small village in Achtkarspelen in the province Friesland of the Netherlands it forms together with Stroobos the double village Gerkesklooster-Stroobos. The double village has around 1775 citizens .-External links:*...

/Stroobos

Stroobos

Stroobos is a small village in Achtkarspelen in the province Friesland of the Netherlands it forms together with Gerkesklooster the double village Gerkesklooster-Stroobos. The double village has around 1775 citizens .-External links:*...

 it crosses the Prinsesmargrietkanaal/van Starkenborghkanaal.

The Lauwers achieves the width of a true river at the point where gains its tributary, the Oude Vaart, near the Schalkendam. Further along its course, the Lauwers splits into two branches, the Frisian Oude Lauwers and the Zijldiep, in 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...

 province.

The Lauwers meets the sea at 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...

, emptying into a channel between the islands of Schiermonnikoog

Schiermonnikoog

Schiermonnikoog is an island, a municipality, and a national park in the northern Netherlands. Schiermonnikoog is one of the West Frisian Islands, and is part of the province of Friesland....

and Rottumerplaat/Rottumeroog, which can be viewed as the continuation of the river.