Lutjegast () 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 to ...

in the municipality of

Westerkwartier The Westerkwartier (; en, Western Quarter) is a historical region in the Dutch province of Groningen, at the border with the provinces of Drenthe and Friesland. In the past the area was part of the historical region of Frisia. The West Frisi ...

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 ...

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 1,125 in January 2017.

History

The name ''Lutjegast'' originates from

Gronings Gronings (; gos, Grunnegs or Grönnegs), is a collective name for some Friso-Saxon dialects spoken in the province of Groningen and around the Groningen border in Drenthe and Friesland. Gronings and the strongly related varieties in East Fris ...

in which ''lutje'' means small or little and a ''ga(a)st'' is a higher, sandy ridge in an otherwise swampy area. The village was first mentioned in 1459 as "op de Lutkegast". Lutjegast is a road village which developed on a sandy ridge. The Dutch Reformed church was built in 1877 and was restored in 1922. The

Reformed Church Calvinism (also called the Reformed Tradition, Reformed Protestantism, Reformed Christianity, or simply Reformed) is a major branch of Protestantism that follows the theological tradition and forms of Christian practice set down by John Cal ...

is a cruciform church built in 1922 without a tower in

expressionist Expressionism is a modernist movement, initially in poetry and painting, originating in Northern Europe around the beginning of the 20th century. Its typical trait is to present the world solely from a subjective perspective, distorting it rad ...

style. Lutjegast was the birthplace of the explorer

Abel Tasman Abel Janszoon Tasman (; 160310 October 1659) was a Dutch seafarer, explorer, and merchant, best known for his voyages of 1642 and 1644 in the service of the Dutch East India Company (VOC). He was the first known European explorer to reach New Z ...

. He is memorialised in town by a monument, plaque and street name. In 2014, a museum dedicated to Abel Tasman opened in the village house. Until 1828, a manor house named "Rikkerdaborg" stood in Lutjegast. Its most famous occupant was Bernard Johan Prott who was the commander of

Bourtange Bourtange (; Gronings: ''Boertang'') is a village with a population of 430 in the municipality of Westerwolde in the Netherlands. It is situated in the region Westerwolde in the east of the province of Groningen near the German border. Fort Bo ...

in 1672.

Christoph Bernhard von Galen Christoph Bernhard Freiherr von Galen (12 October 1606, Drensteinfurt – 19 September 1678) was Prince-bishop of Münster. He was born into a noble Westphalian family. Background, education and conversion to Roman Catholicism Christoph Bernh ...

, the Prince-bishop of Münster had allegedly offered Prott ƒ200,000.- to take Bourtange, however Prott refused the offer and von Galen was unable to take the fortress by force. Lutjegast was home to 294 people in 1840. The village used to be part of the municipality of

Grootegast Grootegast (; fy, Gruttegast) is a village and former municipality in the northeastern Netherlands. It is the sister city of Kingston, Tasmania. The municipality was merged into the municipality of Westerkwartier on 1 January 2019. Geography ...

. In 2019, it was merged into

Notable people

Arjen Lubach Arjen Henrik Lubach (; born 22 October 1979) is a Dutch comedian, author, music producer and television presenter. He hosted the weekly news satire television show ''Zondag met Lubach''. As of 21 February 2022, he is the host of a new show on ...

, comedian * Klaasje Meijer, singer *

, explorer

Gallery

File:Beckeringh - Huis Rikkerda, Lutjegast.jpg, Rikkerdaborg File:Lutjegast - hervormde pastorie.jpg, Former clergy house File:Lutjegast 15 50 21 609000.jpeg, View on Lutjegast File:Lytsegast (Grinslân), kristlik grifformearde tsjerke.jpg, Reformed church in Lutjegast

References

External links

* *
Lutjegast Online
{{Authority control Westerkwartier Westerkwartier (municipality) Populated places in Groningen (province)