Blijham () is a

village A village is a clustered human settlement or community, larger than a hamlet but smaller than a town (although the word is often used to describe both hamlets and smaller towns), with a population typically ranging from a few hundred ...

with a population of 2,240 in the municipality of Westerwolde in the province of Groningen in the

Netherlands ) , anthem = ( en, "William of Nassau") , image_map = , map_caption = , subdivision_type = Sovereign state , subdivision_name = Kingdom of the Netherlands , established_title = Before independence , established_date = Spanish Netherl ...

. 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 bo ...

. 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 Groningen and

Münster Münster (; nds, Mönster) is an independent city (''Kreisfreie Stadt'') in North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany. It is in the northern part of the state and is considered to be the cultural centre of the Westphalia region. It is also a state di ...

. At the time, the water of the

Dollart The Dollart (German name) or Dollard (Dutch name) is a bay in the Wadden Sea between the northern Netherlands and Germany, on the west side of the estuary of the Ems river. Most of it dries at low tide. Many water birds feed there. Gaining ...

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 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 Groningen, in the northeast of the

. The village is situated between the rivers Pekel Aa and Westerwoldse Aa, and amid the village of

Oude Pekela Oude Pekela ( Gronings: ''Olle Pekel''; ) is a town in the Dutch province of Groningen. It is located in the municipality of Pekela, about 5 km southwest of Winschoten. It was established to exploit the peat in the area. During the 19th ce ...

(to the west), the city of

Winschoten Winschoten (; gos, Winschoot) is a city with a population of 18,518 in the municipality of Oldambt in the northeast of the Netherlands. It is the largest city in the region of Oldambt in the province of Groningen which has 38,213 inhabitants. ...

(northwest), and the villages of Oudeschans (northeast), Bellingwolde (east), Vriescheloo (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, and some scattered houses.

Demographics

As of 2017, Blijham has a

population Population typically refers to the number of people in a single area, whether it be a city or town, region, country, continent, or the world. Governments typically quantify the size of the resident population within their jurisdiction using a ...

of 3,915 (source: CBS) and a

population density Population density (in agriculture: Stock (disambiguation), standing stock or plant density) is a measurement of population per unit land area. It is mostly applied to humans, but sometimes to other living organisms too. It is a key geographical ...

of .

Transportation

The provincial roads N367, N368, and N969 are connecting Blijham to the nearby settlements. The N367 goes north to

and west to

and Nieuwe Pekela. The N368 goes south to

and Vlagtwedde. The N969 goes east to Bellingwolde and the German border. The nearest railway is the

Harlingen–Nieuweschans railway The Harlingen–Nieuweschans railway is a railway line in the Netherlands running from the port of Harlingen to Bad Nieuweschans, passing through Leeuwarden and Groningen. The line was opened between 1863 and 1868. It is also known as the ''Staa ...

north of Blijham, with its nearest station

Education

There are two

primary school A primary school (in Ireland, the United Kingdom, Australia, Trinidad and Tobago, Jamaica, and South Africa), junior school (in Australia), elementary school or grade school (in North America and the Philippines) is a school for primary e ...

s in the village, the public school De Wiekslag and the Christian school De Loopplank. The nearest secondary schools 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)