Spijk (; ) is a village in the Dutch province of

Groningen Groningen ( , ; ; or ) is the capital city and main municipality of Groningen (province), Groningen province in the Netherlands. Dubbed the "capital of the north", Groningen is the largest place as well as the economic and cultural centre of ...

. It is a part of the municipality of

Eemsdelta Eemsdelta () is a municipality in the province of Groningen, Netherlands formed from the merger of Appingedam, Delfzijl and Loppersum. The municipality came into existence on 1 January 2021. Geography As of 2020, the areas encompassed by th ...

, and lies about 26 kilometres (16 mi) northeast of

. Spijk is a radial ''terp'' village from 600-700 BC where the original structure is still clearly visible.

History

The village was first mentioned in 1246 as Spik, and means

headland A headland, also known as a head, is a coastal landform, a point of land usually high and often with a sheer drop, that extends into a body of water. It is a type of promontory. A headland of considerable size often is called a cape.Whittow, Jo ...

. Spijk is a ''

terp A ''terp'', also known as a ''wierde, woerd, warf, warft, werf, werve, wurt'' or ''værft'', is an artificial dwelling mound found on the North European Plain that has been created to provide safe ground during storm surges, high tides and ...

'' village with a radial structure which probably dates from the 7th or

6th century BC The 6th century BC started on the first day of 600 BC and ended on the last day of 501 BC. In Western Asia, the first half of this century was dominated by the Neo-Babylonian Empire, which had risen to power late in the previous century after ...

. It has a double ring road and a circular canal, and the church has been placed in the middle. The original structure is still clearly visible. In the 11th century, a dike was built along the former

Fivel The Fivel was a historical river in the province of Groningen (province), Groningen in the Netherlands. It received its water from peat bogs around Kolham and Slochteren, flowed past , and , and meandered north of Winneweer. The Fivel debouched i ...

River. The Dutch Reformed church was from the 13th century, however it burned down and only the old walls have remained. In 1848, it was extended on the north side. The tower dates from 1902. In 1686 and 1717, most of the buildings excluding the church were destroyed in floods. The

grist mill A gristmill (also: grist mill, corn mill, flour mill, feed mill or feedmill) grinds cereal grain into flour and Wheat middlings, middlings. The term can refer to either the grinding mechanism or the building that holds it. Grist is grain that h ...

Ceres dates from 1839. It is located opposite the church outside the inner ring. In 2013, it was restored, and was recommissioned in 2015. Spijk was home to 409 people in 1840.

Gallery

File:Spijk - pastorie.jpg, Former clergy house File:Spijk - Hoofdweg-Noord 27 (1).jpg, Villa in Spijk File:Hoofdweg Noord - Spijk - 20203158 - RCE.jpg, Main street (1979) File:Spijk - 't loug 23.jpg, Pub in Spijk

References

External links

* {{Dutch municipality Eemsdelta Populated places in Groningen (province) Eemsdelta