These two villages lie adjacent to each other, with Moddergat being an extension of the former 'on the other side' of a sea rift that emptied into the Wadden Sea. The sea rift no longer exists.
The twin villages owned a large fishing fleet in the 19th century. On the night of March 5 to 6, 1883, disaster struck the community. During a heavy storm, 17 blowers and barges sank and 83 villagers of Paesens and Moddergat perished.
