Bad Nieuweschans (also ''Lange Akkeren''; ; Gronings: ''Nij-Schans''; German: ''Bad Neuschanz'') is a village in the north-eastern

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 ...

on the border with

Germany Germany,, officially the Federal Republic of Germany, is a country in Central Europe. It is the second most populous country in Europe after Russia, and the most populous member state of the European Union. Germany is situated betwee ...

. It forms part of the municipality of Oldambt. Nieuweschans means "new fortification ( sconce)". In 2009, the word Bad (" spa") was prefixed to the name of the village to promote it as a tourist destination.

History

Bad Nieuwenschans is located in a part 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. Gainin ...

which was flooded during the 13th century. In the 1550s, the Dollart was reclaimed by large-scale

polder A polder () is a low-lying tract of land that forms an artificial hydrological entity, enclosed by embankments known as dikes. The three types of polder are: # Land reclaimed from a body of water, such as a lake or the seabed # Flood plains ...

ing. In 1626, the area around

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 her ...

was poldered, and a settlement appeared in the Nieuwenschans area which was originally called ''Lange Akkeren''. The

fortification A fortification is a military construction or building designed for the defense of territories in warfare, and is also used to establish rule in a region during peacetime. The term is derived from Latin ''fortis'' ("strong") and ''facere ...

of Nieuweschans was built in 1628, during the

Eighty Years' War The Eighty Years' War or Dutch Revolt ( nl, Nederlandse Opstand) ( c.1566/1568–1648) was an armed conflict in the Habsburg Netherlands between disparate groups of rebels and the Spanish government. The causes of the war included the Ref ...

. The sconce was a

pentagon In geometry, a pentagon (from the Greek πέντε ''pente'' meaning ''five'' and γωνία ''gonia'' meaning ''angle'') is any five-sided polygon or 5-gon. The sum of the internal angles in a simple pentagon is 540°. A pentagon may be sim ...

surrounded by earthen walls and canals. The fortification was still in use during the French occupation. In 1815, the

garrison A garrison (from the French ''garnison'', itself from the verb ''garnir'', "to equip") is any body of troops stationed in a particular location, originally to guard it. The term now often applies to certain facilities that constitute a mili ...

was disbanded, and between 1870 and 1907, the fortifications were dismantled. In 1974, Bad Nieuweschans was declared a protected site, and large scale restoration of the village started. In 1985, , a spa, was established after the discovery of mineral water at a depth of . Nieuweschans was a separate municipality until 1990, when it became a part of the municipality of

Reiderland Reiderland () is a former municipality in the province Groningen in the northeastern Netherlands, which was founded in 1990 during a large municipal reorganisation. The former municipalities Finsterwolde and Bad Nieuweschans were abolished and add ...

. In April 2009, the municipality of Reiderland changed the name from ''Nieuweschans'' to ''Bad Nieuweschans'', to promote the town as a spa. On 1 January 2010, Reiderland in turn became a part of the municipality of Oldambt.

Geography

Bad Nieuweschans is located in the municipality of Oldambt in the east of the province of

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

in the northeast of the

. Close to the village is the easternmost point of the Netherlands on the border with Germany. It is located about 10 km east of Winschoten.

Transportation

The

Bad Nieuweschans railway station Bad Nieuweschans (; abbreviation: Nsch), previously named Nieuweschans (1868–2013), is an unstaffed railway station in the village of Bad Nieuweschans, Netherlands. It connects the Harlingen–Nieuweschans and Ihrhove–Nieuweschans railways ...

is located on the Harlingen–Nieuweschans and Ihrhove–Nieuweschans railways in the north-east of the village. The railway station opened in 1869, however the connection to

Hamburg Hamburg (, ; nds, label=Hamburg German, Low Saxon, Hamborg ), officially the Free and Hanseatic City of Hamburg (german: Freie und Hansestadt Hamburg; nds, label=Low Saxon, Friee un Hansestadt Hamborg),. is the List of cities in Germany by popul ...

took another eight years. Georges Simenon's novel ''

Maigret and the Hundred Gibbets ''The Crime of Inspector Maigret'' (other English-language titles are ''Maigret and the Hundred Gibbets'' and ''The Hanged Man of Saint-Pholien'') is a novel by the Belgian writer Georges Simenon. The original French-language version ''Le Pendu de ...

'' starts in the railway station. Bad Nieuweschans served as the main border crossing between Groningen and Hamburg. Traffic had to pass through the village which often caused long traffic jams during the holidays. An international motorway was planned which would pass Bad Nieuweschans to the south on German soil. In 1963, the border between the Netherlands and Germany was modified. The new border was established south of the planned road, and the construction could begin. On 30 April 1969, the A7 opened, however it was still a single lane road, and construction in Germany had not started. In April 1993, the A7 was finally upgraded to motorway standards, and in October 1994, the A280 opened in Germany.

Notable people

Levi Benima Levi Benima Levi Benima (11 May 1838, Nieuweschansbr>– 3 February 1922, Amsterdam) was a Dutch chess master who twice won the Dutch Championship, in 1881 in The Hague and in 1883 in Rotterdam. In other tournaments, he took 2nd at The Hague 18 ...

(1838–1922), chess master * Rynie Wolters (1844–1917), baseball player

Gallery

File:Commemorative cannon in Bad-Nieuweschans 2012.jpg, Cannon in Nieuweschans File:Bad Nieuweschans (The Netherlands) 11.JPG, Village street File:Bad Nieuweschans (The Netherlands) 06.JPG, Industry File:Nsch - 2006.JPG, Old and new train at the station

References

Bibliography

External links

* {{Coord, 53, 11, N, 7, 12, E, region:NL_type:city, display=title Former municipalities of Groningen (province) Forts in the Netherlands Germany–Netherlands border crossings Oldambt (municipality) Populated places in Groningen (province) Spa towns in the Netherlands 1628 establishments in the Dutch Republic