Schoonebeek 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

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 ...

. It is located in the municipality of Emmen, about 12 km (7 mi) south of that city. Schoonebeek was a separate municipality from 1884 to 1997, when it merged with Emmen. The area is home of the largest onshore oil field in Europe; known as the

Schoonebeek oil field The Schoonebeek oil field is an oil field located in Schoonebeek, Drenthe. It was discovered in 1943 and developed by Royal Dutch Shell. It began production in 1947 and produces oil. The total proven reserves of the Schoonebeek oil field are aroun ...

History

Schoonebeek is a village which developed on a sandy ridge in the

moorland Moorland or moor is a type of habitat found in upland areas in temperate grasslands, savannas, and shrublands and montane grasslands and shrublands biomes, characterised by low-growing vegetation on acidic soils. Moorland, nowadays, generally ...

. It was first mentioned in 1341 as "van Sconebeke" and means "brook with clean water". The Saint Nicolas Church was built in 1419, but was demolished in 1951. The economy of the village mainly depended on the exploitation of

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 ...

. In 1809, it became part of the municipality of

Dalen Dalen (Dutch Low Saxon: ''Daoln'') is a village and a former municipality in the northeastern Netherlands, in the province of Drenthe. Since 1998, Dalen has been part of the municipality of Coevorden. The village was first mentioned in the 12t ...

. In 1840, it was home to 629 people. Schoonebeek became an independent municipality in 1884. In 1943, oil was discovered in the neighbourhood of Schoonebeek. The population successfully sabotaged the wells which prevented the Germans from knowing much oil was underneath the ground. After the war,

pumpjack A pumpjack is the overground drive for a reciprocating piston pump in an oil well. It is used to mechanically lift liquid out of the well if there is not enough bottom hole pressure for the liquid to flow all the way to the surface. The arra ...

s became a feature of the landscape around the village. The discovery led to an increase in population, and the construction of new neighbourhoods. In 1998, it became part of the municipality of Emmen.

Notable people

Maruschka Detmers Maruschka Detmers (born 16 December 1962, Schoonebeek) is a Dutch actress. She moved to France as a teenager after finishing school, where she captured the attention of director Jean-Luc Godard. In 1983, she made her dramatic debut under Godard' ...

(born 1962), actress * Erik Regtop (born 1968), footballer * Albert Zwaveling (born 1927), surgeon specializing in oncology

Gallery

File:Wolfshoeve Schoonebeek.JPG, ''Wolfshoeve'' File:Schoonebeek Turfcafe.jpg, Peat factory File:Schoonebeek -01.jpg, Farm with well File:Schoonebeker Diep4.jpg, Drilling for oil

References

{{Authority control Municipalities of the Netherlands disestablished in 1998 Populated places in Drenthe Former municipalities of Drenthe Emmen, Netherlands