Musselkanaal (also: ''Stads-Musselkanaal''; Gronings: ''Muzzelknoal'') is a town in the Dutch province of

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 ...

. It is located in the municipality of Stadskanaal. It was established by the

city of 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 ...

in the 1840s to exploit the peat. It used to be part of the municipality of

Onstwedde Onstwedde () is a village in the region of Westerwolde and part of Groningen in the Netherlands. It is located in the municipality of Stadskanaal. Onstwedde was also the former name of the municipality of Stadskanaal, until 1969. History Ons ...

, but was merged into Stadskanaal in 1968.

History

The Bourtange moor was located in the south-east of Groningen. It was a raised bog with few inhabitants. Around 1600, corporations started to exploit the peat. In 1635, the

took control, and established the , as a colony. The colony had advanced to Stadskanaal where it ended due to a border conflict with the province of

Drenthe Drenthe () is a province of the Netherlands located in the northeastern part of the country. It is bordered by Overijssel to the south, Friesland to the west, Groningen to the north, and the German state of Lower Saxony to the east. As of Nov ...

. In 1615, the border had been defined by the

Semslinie The Semslinie is a part of the border between the Dutch provinces of Groningen and Drenthe that runs right through the former Bourtanger Moor. The almost straight line runs from Wolfsbarge to the Huis ter Haar at Musselkanaal. The border is sl ...

, and the village and monastery of

Ter Apel Ter Apel (; Gronings: ''Troapel'') is a village with a population of 8,866 residents in the municipality Westerwolde in the northern Netherlands, in the province Groningen in the region Westerwolde. The town lies on the stream Ruiten Aa, which ...

was assigned to Drenthe. In 1817, the line was modified with the so-called ''Koningsraai'' which assigned Ter Apel to Groningen. In 1819, Groningen started extending the in a south-eastern direction close to the provincial border. The canal was initially called Stads-Musselkanaal and contains two bends due to the ''Koningsraai''. In 1850, the canal was renamed . The village was named after the canal. Musselkanaal is a linear settlement, and contains five side-canals along which houses were built. There is a large park and sports ground in the south of the town. The Horstenerbos, a forest area, is located on the northern side. The peat extraction resulted in an immigration from neighbouring Germany. Many of the immigrants were Catholics, and in 1843, a Catholic church was built in Zandberg. In 1903, a parish was established in Musselkanaal. It used to have a railway line and train station. In 1955, the line closed for passengers, and for goods in 1990. In 1992, the section Veendam– Stadskanaal–Musselkanaal was bought by which operates a museum line with

steamtrain A steam locomotive is a locomotive that provides the force to move itself and other vehicles by means of the expansion of steam. It is fuelled by burning combustible material (usually coal, oil or, rarely, wood) to heat water in the locomot ...

s. The town used to be part of the municipality of

, but was merged into Stadskanaal in 1968.

Notable people

Jannes Munneke Jannes Albert Munneke (born 6 February 1949) is a retired Dutch rower. He competed at the 1972 Summer Olympics in the eight 8 is a number, numeral, and glyph. 8 or eight may also refer to: Years * AD 8, the eighth year of the AD era * 8 BC, ...

(born 1949), a rower who competed at the 1972 Summer Olympics *

Sienie Strikwerda Geesiena Jacoba "Sienie" Strikwerda (née van Klinken; 7 November 1921 – 23 June 2013) was a Dutch educator, feminist, and anti–nuclear weapons activist. She served as chairperson of the , the national committee against nuclear cruise missile ...

(1921–2013), educator, feminist and anti–nuclear weapons activist

Gallery

File:Musselkanaal IJzeren-Klap.JPG, De IJzeren Klap (bridge) File:Kerk Kerkstraat Musselkanaal2.jpg, Protestant church File:Overzicht_ophaalbrug_met_schuifsluis_-_Musselkanaal_-_20532379_-_RCE.jpg, The fifth lock File:Valthermond spoor 02.jpg, Unused railway line (2014)

References

{{Commons category, position=left Populated places in Groningen (province) Stadskanaal