The 'Brielse Meer' ("Lake Den Briel") is a long, narrow lake between the
Dutch estuary islands of
Voorne and
Rozenburg in the
province of
Zuid-Holland.
The lake takes its name from
Den Briel, a
town on its
shore. It was formerly a
Meuse branch known as Brielse Maas (Den Briel Meuse), which ran from the
Botlek strait near
Rotterdam into the
North Sea. The first stretch, between Botlek and the former
confluence with the
Het Scheur branch, was alternatively known as (the last stretch of)
Nieuwe Maas.
When the Brielse Maas silted up in the late
nineteenth century, the
Nieuwe Waterweg ship canal was constructed (
1872) and Het Scheur was separated from the Brielse Maas by a
dam. As a to the
Delta Works sea barrier constructions, the Brielse Maas was closed off at both ends in
1950, becoming the Brielse Meer.