Vestingmuseum Oudeschans (; en, Oudeschans Fortification Museum) is a local museum in the village of

Oudeschans Oudeschans () is a small village with a population of around 100 in the municipality of Westerwolde in the province of Groningen in the Netherlands. The 16th-century fortification is now a state protected village area with several national heri ...

in the Netherlands. The museum shows the history of the 16th-century fortification of Oudeschans and has a collection of archaeological findings. The museum opened on 12 September 1987. The building was renovated in 2009. The museum lost its structural municipal subsidy in 2010. The museum staff consists of volunteers only. With 1,195 visitors in 2015, it is one of the lesser-visited museums in

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 ...

Location

The museum is located at the Molenweg in the village

in the municipality

Bellingwedde Bellingwedde () was a municipality with a population of in the province Groningen in the northeast of the Netherlands. Bellingwedde was established in 1968, when the municipalities of Bellingwolde and Wedde had merged. It contained the villages ...

in the east of the province

near the Dutch–German border. The Bellingwolderschans (

Sconce Sconce may refer to: *Sconce (fortification), a military fortification *Sconce (light fixture) *Sconcing, imposing a penalty in the form of drink *Sconce Point Fort Victoria is a former military fort on the Isle of Wight, England (), built to ...

Bellingwolde Bellingwolde (; Gronings: ''Bennewolle'') is a village with a population of 2,655 people in the municipality Westerwolde in the Netherlands. It is situated in the southeast of the region Oldambt, in the north of the region Westerwolde, and in ...

) was a fortification created in 1593 by William Louis, Count of Nassau-Dillenburg during the

Eighty Years' War The Eighty Years' War or Dutch Revolt ( nl, Nederlandse Opstand) ( c.1566/1568–1648) was an armed conflict in the Habsburg Netherlands between disparate groups of rebels and the Spanish government. The causes of the war included the Refo ...

. It was renamed Oudeschans (Old Sconce) after the construction of the nearby

Nieuweschans Bad Nieuweschans (also ''Lange Akkeren''; ; Gronings: ''Nij-Schans''; German: ''Bad Neuschanz'') is a village in the north-eastern Netherlands on the border with Germany. It forms part of the municipality of Oldambt. Nieuweschans means "new fort ...

(New Sconce) in 1628. Oudeschans was used for military purposes until 1814. In the 1980s, the fortification was partially reconstructed. In 1991, the fortification became a state protected village area ( nl, beschermd dorpsgezicht).

History

The museum was opened on 12 September 1987. In 2009, the museum building underwent a major renovation.

Exhibitions

The museum shows the history of the fortification of Oudeschans and of other fortifications in the area.Vestingmuseum
Stichting Vesting Oudeschans. Retrieved on 7 February 2014.Vestingmuseum Oudeschans weer geopend
Marketing Groningen, 2009. Retrieved on 7 February 2014. On display in the museum are archaeological findings from the 17th and 18th century, such as pottery, household objects, shoes, weapons, and ammunition. There are information panels and a video presentation in Dutch and German. The museum also has temporary exhibitions.

Administration

The museum staff and board consist of only volunteers. The museum receives an annual subsidy of around 1000 euro of the municipality. Vestingmuseum Oudeschans is one of the lesser-visited museums in the province of Groningen. In the years 2010 to 2015, the museum had 750 to 1,500 visitors per year. The museum is a member of Museumhuis Groningen (Groningen Museum House), an umbrella organization for museums and heritage institutions in the province of Groningen.Over ons
Museumhuis Groningen. Retrieved on 7 February 2014.

References

External links

* {{in lang, nl}

Fortifications in the Netherlands History museums in the Netherlands Local museums in the Netherlands Military and war museums in the Netherlands Museums in Groningen (province) Westerwolde (municipality)