Editing Groningen (section)

===Canals===
Numerous canals ({{lang|nl|[[Gracht|grachten]]}}) surround the city, locally called {{lang|nl|diep}}. The major canals that travel from the city are the [[Van Starkenborgh Canal]], Eemskanaal, and Winschoterdiep. Groningen's canals, no longer used for commercial goods transport, were once vital hubs in trade and transport. The rivers crossing close to the Binnenstad have been used for trade for at least a {{interlanguage link|Geschiedenis_van_Groningen#Vroege_middeleeuwen|nl|lt=thousand years}}. The Dutch West India Company and foreign investors established their Groningen headquarters in Reitemakersrijge. Additional warehouses were strategically built along the canals at Noorderhaven to store colonial produce.<ref name="linksto"/> These warehouses often held goods obtained from plantations in the Dutch colonies.