Oldambt (municipality)

Oldambt
Municipality
Winschoten
Winschoten
Scheemda
Scheemda
Finsterwolde
Finsterwolde
Beerta
Beerta
Midwolda
Midwolda
Flag of Oldambt
Flag
Coat of arms of Oldambt
Coat of arms
Official logo of Oldambt
Brandmark
Highlighted position of Oldambt in a municipal map of Groningen
Location of Oldambt in Groningen in the Netherlands
Coordinates: 53°9′N 7°2′E / 53.150°N 7.033°E / 53.150; 7.033
CountryNetherlands
ProvinceGroningen
Established1 January 2010[1]
Government
[2]
 • BodyMunicipal council
 • MayorCora-Yfke Sikkema (GL)
Area
[3]
 • Total
295.96 km2 (114.27 sq mi)
 • Land226.66 km2 (87.51 sq mi)
 • Water69.30 km2 (26.76 sq mi)
Elevation
[4]
2 m (7 ft)
Population
 (January 2021)[5]
 • Total
38,277
 • Density169/km2 (440/sq mi)
Time zoneUTC+1 (CET)
 • Summer (DST)UTC+2 (CEST)
Postcode
Parts of 9600 and 9900 ranges
Area code0596–0598
Websitegemeente-oldambt.nl

Oldambt (Dutch pronunciation: [ɔlˈdɑm(p)t])[6] is a municipality with a population of 38,277 in the province of Groningen in the Netherlands. It was established in 2010 by merging the municipalities of Reiderland, Scheemda, and Winschoten. It contains the city of Winschoten and these villages:

History

The name "Oldambt" from "Ol dambt" meaning "the old fill" is derived from land reclamation efforts, starting after the catastrophic floodings of the 13th century.

The municipality of Oldambt was established 1 January 2010, as a merger of the former municipalities of Reiderland, Scheemda and Winschoten.[7][8]

Geography

Topography of Oldambt in 2015
Marktplein church Winschoten and tower 'Ol witte'
Guard building in Bad Nieuweschans

Oldambt is located at 53°9′N 7°2′E / 53.150°N 7.033°E / 53.150; 7.033 in the northeast of the province of Groningen in the northeast of the Netherlands on the border with Germany. Near Bad Nieuweschans is the easternmost point of the Netherlands. The municipality falls within the region of Oldambt and the western part falls within the region of Rheiderland.

The municipality is bordered by the Dutch municipalities of Delfzijl (in the north), Slochteren (northwest), Menterwolde (west), Pekela (southwest), and Bellingwedde (south), and by the German municipalities of Bunde (east), Jemgum (northeast), and Emden (north).

The municipality contains the city of Winschoten, the villages of Bad Nieuweschans, Beerta, Blauwestad, Drieborg, Finsterwolde, Heiligerlee, Midwolda, Nieuw-Beerta, Nieuwolda, Nieuw-Scheemda, Oostwold, Scheemda, 't Waar, and Westerlee,[9] and the hamlet Hongerige Wolf.[10]

In the north of the municipality is part of the Dollart in the Wadden Sea, which is a UNESCO World Heritage Site since 2009.[11][12] In the center is the Oldambtmeer, an artificial lake of more than 800 ha.[13]

Demographics

As of 2021, Oldambt has a population of 38,277 and a population density of 169/km2 (440/sq mi).[3][5] Oldambt is a developing municipality, in the heart of the region it is building a new housing area with more than 300 houses already: Blauwestad around the artificial lake Oldambtmeer of 800 hectares.

Government

The government seat is in the city of Winschoten.

Mayor Party Period Remarks
Martin Zijlstra PvdA 2010 acting[14]
Pieter Smit D66 2010–2018 died in office
Rika Pot PvdA 2018 acting
Cora Yfke Sikkema GL 2018–present

Transportation

The highway A7 (E22) connects the municipality to the city of Groningen in the west and Leer (Germany) in the east. The Harlingen–Nieuweschans railway runs through the municipality with train stations in Scheemda, Winschoten, and Bad Nieuweschans. The trains are currently operated by Arriva and the busses by Qbuzz.

The train stops Heiligerlee and Ulsda were closed in 1934 and 1938.

Hospital

The municipality has the most modern hospital of the province of Groningen, the Ommelander Ziekenhuis Groningen in Scheemda.

Notable people

Dirk Stikker, 1964

Sport

  • Levi Benima (1838 in Nieuweschans – 1922) a Dutch chess master
  • Rynie Wolters (1842 in Nieuweschans – 1917) the first Dutch professional baseball player
  • Jan de Bruine (1903 in Winschoten – 1983) a Dutch equestrian and silver medallist in show jumping at the 1936 Summer Olympics
  • Arie Haan (born 1948 in Finsterwolde) a Dutch football manager and former player with 419 club caps
  • Jurrie Koolhof (1960 in Beerta – 2019) a Dutch international football striker with 417 club caps and manager.
  • Marnix Kolder (born 1981 in Winschoten) a Dutch professional footballer with over 500 club caps

References

  1. ^ "Gemeentelijke indeling op 1 januari 2010" [Municipal divisions on 1 January 2010]. cbs.nl (in Dutch). CBS. Retrieved 31 January 2014.
  2. ^ "Samenstelling college van B&W" [Members of the board of mayor and aldermen] (in Dutch). Gemeente Oldambt. Archived from the original on 21 February 2014. Retrieved 3 February 2014.
  3. ^ a b "Kerncijfers wijken en buurten 2020" [Key figures for neighbourhoods 2020]. StatLine (in Dutch). CBS. 24 July 2020. Retrieved 19 September 2020.
  4. ^ "Postcodetool for 9671CD". Actueel Hoogtebestand Nederland (in Dutch). Het Waterschapshuis. Retrieved 3 February 2014.
  5. ^ a b "Bevolkingsontwikkeling; regio per maand" [Population growth; regions per month]. CBS Statline (in Dutch). CBS. 1 January 2021. Retrieved 2 January 2022.
  6. ^ "Heringedeeld afl 3 'Oldambt'". YouTube. Retrieved 3 April 2023.
  7. ^ (in Dutch) "Gemeente Oldambt welluidend van start", Dagblad van het Noorden, 2010. Retrieved on 6 January 2010.[dead link‍]
  8. ^ (in Dutch) Eerste Kamer stemt in met vijf gemeentelijke herindelingen, Nederlands Genootschap van Burgemeesters. Retrieved on 6 January 2010.[dead link‍]
  9. ^ (in Dutch) Dorpen en wijken, Gemeente Oldambt. Retrieved on 22 December 2014.
  10. ^ "Hongerige Wolf". Plaatsengids (in Dutch). Retrieved 1 March 2022.
  11. ^ Wadden Sea, UNESCO. Retrieved on 22 December 2014.
  12. ^ Wadden Sea - Maps, UNESCO. Retrieved on 22 December 2014.
  13. ^ (in Dutch) Blauwestad, Marketing Groningen. Retrieved on 22 December 2014.
  14. ^ (in Dutch) Jacob Hesseling, "Martin Zijlstra: eerste burgemeester Oldambt", Dagblad van het Noorden, 2009. Retrieved on 6 January 2010.
  15. ^ IMDb Database retrieved 6 August 2019
Wikivoyage has a travel guide for Oldambt.
Wikimedia Commons has media related to Oldambt.