Blijham () is a village with a population of 2,240 in the municipality of Westerwolde in the province of

Groningen Groningen (; gos, Grunn or ) is the capital city and main municipality of Groningen province in the Netherlands. The ''capital of the north'', Groningen is the largest place as well as the economic and cultural centre of the northern part of t ...

in the Netherlands. The origins of the settlement date back to the 11th century. Until 1968, Blijham was part of the municipality of

Wedde Wedde () is a village in the municipality Westerwolde in the province Groningen in the Netherlands. It is located 9 km southeast of Winschoten. The castle Wedderborg is located in the village. History Most of Westerwolde was a raised ...

. Until 2017, it was part of the municipality of Bellingwedde.

Etymology

In the name ''Blijham'', which is pronounced as , the part ''-ham'' means 'homestead'.

History

The first settlement dates back to circa 1000 CE. It was built on top of a horseshoe-shaped sand ridge, on the road between the cities of

and Münster. At the time, the water of the Dollart reached all the way down to the settlement.Blijham
, Municipality of Bellingwedde. Retrieved on 19 January 2014. The village of Blijham is formed out of the two population centres of Kerkhorn and Molenhorn, which are now completely connected. Until 1968, Blijham was part of the municipality of

. On 1 September 1968 the municipalities of

Bellingwolde Bellingwolde (; Gronings: ''Bennewolle'') is a village with a population of 2,655 people in the municipality Westerwolde in the Netherlands. It is situated in the southeast of the region Oldambt, in the north of the region Westerwolde, and in ...

and Wedde were merged into the new municipality of Bellingwedde, of which Blijham then became a part. In 2018, Bellingwedde was merged with Vlagtwedde to form the new municipality of Westerwolde.

Geography

Blijham is located at in the northwest of the municipality Westerwolde, in the east of the province of

, in the northeast of the Netherlands. The village is situated between the rivers

Pekel Aa Pekel A (also Pekel Aa; ) is a river in the Groningen (province), Province of Groningen in the Netherlands. The villages of Oude Pekela and Nieuwe Pekela have been named after the river. The name translates to Brine ('':nl:Pekel, Pekel'') River ( ...

and Westerwoldse Aa, and amid the village of Oude Pekela (to the west), the city of Winschoten (northwest), and the villages of

Oudeschans Oudeschans () is a small village with a population of around 100 in the municipality of Westerwolde in the province of Groningen in the Netherlands. The 16th-century fortification is now a state protected village area with several national heri ...

(northeast), Bellingwolde (east),

Vriescheloo Vriescheloo (; Gronings: ''Vraiskeloo'') is a village in the municipality of Westerwolde in the Netherlands. History Vrieschloo is a linear settlement on the sand ridge which formed the old road between Groningen and Germany. The village ...

(southeast), and Wedde (south). Blijham is an administrative district ( nl, wijk, links=no) and neighbourhood ( nl, buurt, links=no). The district Blijham is one of three districts in the municipality of Bellingwedde, the other two being Bellingwolde and Oost. The district Blijham contains the neighbourhoods Blijham, Morige, Wedde, Wedderheide,

Wedderveer Wedderveer () is a hamlet near Wedde in the municipality of Westerwolde in the Netherlands. It has a population of around 135 and a total area of . The sawmill Spinnenkop has been listed as a national heritage site since 1990.

Demographics

As of 2017, Blijham has a population of 3,915 (source: CBS) and a population density of .

Transportation

The provincial roads N367, N368, and N969 are connecting Blijham to the nearby settlements. The N367 goes north to Winschoten and west to Oude Pekela and Nieuwe Pekela. The N368 goes south to

and

Vlagtwedde Vlagtwedde () is a village in the very southeast of Groningen province in the northeastern Netherlands. It lies on the Dutch border with the German state of Lower Saxony to the east. History The municipality of Vlagtwedde was created in Decemb ...

. The N969 goes east to

and the German border. The nearest railway is the Harlingen–Nieuweschans railway north of Blijham, with its nearest station Winschoten.

Education

There are two primary schools in the village, the public school De Wiekslag and the Christian school De Loopplank. The nearest

secondary schools A secondary school describes an institution that provides secondary education and also usually includes the building where this takes place. Some secondary schools provide both '' lower secondary education'' (ages 11 to 14) and ''upper seconda ...

are in Bellingwolde, Oude Pekela, and Winschoten.Winschoten
, Ubbo Emmius. Retrieved on 19 January 2014.

References

External links

*
Blijham
at the website of the municipality Bellingwedde {{Dutch municipality Bellingwedde Populated places in Groningen (province) Westerwolde (municipality)