Drachtstercompagnie ( fry, Drachtster kompenije) is a small village in

Smallingerland Smallingerland (; fy, ) is a municipality in the province of Friesland in the Netherlands. Population centres Boornbergum, De Tike, De Veenhoop, De Wilgen, Drachten (main town), Drachtstercompagnie, Goëngahuizen, Houtigehage, Kortehemmen ...

in the province of

Friesland Friesland (, ; official fry, Fryslân ), historically and traditionally known as Frisia, is a province of the Netherlands located in the country's northern part. It is situated west of Groningen, northwest of Drenthe and Overijssel, north of ...

, 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 ...

. It had a population of around 1,185 in January 2017.

History

The village was first mentioned in 1841 as Compagnie (de). It refers to the Drachtster Company who had the concession for the excavation of the

peat Peat (), also known as turf (), is an accumulation of partially decayed vegetation or organic matter. It is unique to natural areas called peatlands, bogs, mires, moors, or muskegs. The peatland ecosystem covers and is the most efficien ...

around Drachten. A

Bronze Age The Bronze Age is a historic period, lasting approximately from 3300 BC to 1200 BC, characterized by the use of bronze, the presence of writing in some areas, and other early features of urban civilization. The Bronze Age is the second pri ...

burial mound has been discovered, however later the

raised bog Raised bogs, also called ombrotrophic bogs, are acidic, wet habitats that are poor in mineral salts and are home to flora and fauna that can cope with such extreme conditions. Raised bogs, unlike fens, are exclusively fed by precipitation ( ombro ...

made the area uninhabitable. The peat excavation started in the middle of the 18th century. Drachtstercompagnie was home to 374 people in 1840. There was a little church in Drachtstercompagnie built in 1921. It was torn down and rebuilt in the same style in 2000, and is in use a

studio A studio is an artist or worker's workroom. This can be for the purpose of acting, architecture, painting, pottery (ceramics), sculpture, origami, woodworking, scrapbooking, photography, graphic design, filmmaking, animation, industrial design ...

. On 7 September 1941, a

Vickers Wellington The Vickers Wellington was a British twin-engined, long-range medium bomber. It was designed during the mid-1930s at Brooklands in Weybridge, Surrey. Led by Vickers-Armstrongs' chief designer Rex Pierson; a key feature of the aircraft is its g ...

of the

Royal Air Force The Royal Air Force (RAF) is the United Kingdom's air and space force. It was formed towards the end of the First World War on 1 April 1918, becoming the first independent air force in the world, by regrouping the Royal Flying Corps (RFC) and ...

was shot down and crashed in Drachtstercompagnie. The 6 crew members are buried at the local cemetery in a Commonwealth grave.

Gallery

File:Boerderij+ woning.JPG, Farms in Drachtstercompagnie File:Einde doodlopendeweg Dr.Compagnie.JPG, Little house in Drachtstercompagnie File:Pas Ver..JPG, House in Drachtstercompagnie File:Eendenverblijf. Dr.Compagnie.JPG, Duck house

References

External links

Populated places in Friesland {{Friesland-geo-stub