Grijpskerk is a village in the

Dutch Dutch commonly refers to: * Something of, from, or related to the Netherlands * Dutch people () * Dutch language () Dutch may also refer to: Places * Dutch, West Virginia, a community in the United States * Pennsylvania Dutch Country People E ...

province of Groningen. It is located in the municipality of Westerkwartier, about 18 km west of the city of Groningen. Grijpskerk was a separate municipality until 1990, when it was merged with

Zuidhorn Zuidhorn () is a town and former municipality in the northeastern Netherlands. The town largely depends on the city of Groningen. A railway line, operated by Arriva, connects the town with Leeuwarden in Friesland and Groningen. Due to a municipal ...

History

The village was first mentioned in 1500 as "Ruygwerdt alias Grijpskerke", and probably means church founded by Claus Grijp, the priest of

Der Aa-kerk The Aa-kerk (also: A-kerk) is a historic former parish church in the centre of Groningen, and a dominant feature in the skyline of the city together with the nearby Martinitoren. History Before the construction of the current church, a chapel ...

in Groningen. The griffin on the

weather vane A wind vane, weather vane, or weathercock is an instrument used for showing the direction of the wind. It is typically used as an architectural ornament to the highest point of a building. The word ''vane'' comes from the Old English word , m ...

of the church is probably also related to the Grijp family. Grijpskerk is a

dike Dyke (UK) or dike (US) may refer to: General uses * Dyke (slang), a slang word meaning "lesbian" * Dike (geology), a subvertical sheet-like intrusion of magma or sediment * Dike (mythology), ''Dikē'', the Greek goddess of moral justice * Dikes ...

village which developed after the Ruigewaard was '' poldered'' in 1425. The dike later became the main the road from Groningen to

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 church from around 1500 was destroyed in 1582 by plundering soldiers during the Dutch Revolt. It was rebuilt between 1605 and 1612, and extended in 1856. The

Mennonite Mennonites are groups of Anabaptist Christian church communities of denominations. The name is derived from the founder of the movement, Menno Simons (1496–1561) of Friesland. Through his writings about Reformed Christianity during the Radi ...

church originally stood in Pieterzijl and was moved to Grijpskerk in 1892. Grijpskerk was home to 611 people in 1840. In 1866, a

railway station Rail transport (also known as train transport) is a means of transport that transfers passengers and goods on wheeled vehicles running on rails, which are incorporated in tracks. In contrast to road transport, where the vehicles run on a prep ...

opened on the

Leeuwarden Leeuwarden (; fy, Ljouwert, longname=yes /; Stadsfries dialects, Town Frisian: ''Liwwadden''; Leeuwarder dialect: ''Leewarden'') is a List of cities in the Netherlands by province, city and Municipalities of the Netherlands, municipality in Fri ...

to Groningen railway line. The station is still in service, however the building was demolished in 1976. Grijpswerk used to be an independent municipality until 1990 when it was merged into

. In 2019, it became part of the municipality of Westerkwartier.

Transportation

Railway Station: Grijpskerk

Notable residents

* Hendrik Drogt (1920-1944), resistance hero of Second World War. As member of the Dutch military police, refused assisting the deportation process. Facing deportation himself, he became key in smuggling several people from the Nazi repression, until his capture and martyrdom. *

Roelof Kruisinga Roelof Johannes Hendrik Kruisinga (27 August 1922 – 7 December 2012) was a Dutch politician of the defunct Christian Historical Union (CHU) party and later the Christian Democratic Appeal (CDA) party and physician. Kruisinga attended a Gymnas ...

(born 1922), politician (

Christian Historical Union The Christian Historical Union ( nl, Christelijk-Historische Unie, CHU) was a Protestant Christian democratic political party in the Netherlands. The CHU is one of the predecessors of the Christian Democratic Appeal (CDA), into which it merged i ...

and

Christian Democratic Appeal The Christian Democratic Appeal ( nl, Christen-Democratisch Appèl, ; CDA) is a Christian-democratic political party in the Netherlands. It was originally formed in 1977 from a confederation of the Catholic People's Party, the Anti-Revolution ...

) * Dirk Scheringa (born 1950), founder of

DSB Bank DSB Bank (''DSB: Dirk Scheringa Beheer'') was a Dutch bank and insurer that failed in 2009. Its loans were managed under ''Quion'' from June 2013 until June 2016 when ''Finqus'' began operating as the former DSB Bank. In 2018 ''Finqus BV'' took ov ...

, chairman of Dutch

Eredivisie The Eredivisie (; ''"Honour Division"'' or ''"Premier Division"'') is the highest level of professional football in the Netherlands. The league was founded in 1956, two years after the start of professional football in the Netherlands. It is c ...

club

AZ Alkmaar Alkmaar Zaanstreek (), better known as AZ Alkmaar or simply AZ (), is a Dutch professional football club from Alkmaar and the Zaan district. The club plays in the Eredivisie, the highest professional football league in the Netherlands, and host ...

and politician (

)

Gallery

File:Gemeentehuis Grijpskerk.jpg, Former town hall File:Grijpskerk - hotel spoorzicht.jpg, Hotel File:Monument hoek Groningerstraatweg-Stationsstraat.jpg, Villa in Grijpskerk File:NH Kerk Grijpskerk - voorzijde (2007).jpg, Dutch Reformed church

References

External links

* {{Authority control Populated places in Groningen (province) Former municipalities of Groningen (province) Westerkwartier (municipality)