Westernieland (

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 ...

: ''Westernijland'') is a village 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 part of the municipality of

Het Hogeland Het Hogeland is a municipality in the north of the province of Groningen (province), Groningen in the northeast of the Netherlands. History The municipality of Het Hogeland was established on 1 January 2019 by merging the municipalities of Bedu ...

. The village is located near the

Wadden Sea The Wadden Sea ( nl, Waddenzee ; german: Wattenmeer; nds, Wattensee or ; da, Vadehavet; fy, Waadsee, longname=yes; frr, di Heef) is an intertidal zone in the southeastern part of the North Sea. It lies between the coast of northwestern conti ...

History

Around 1000, the village of Mariaburen was founded on a sand ridge near the

. Westernieland was sometimes referred to as Mariaburen in den Nijenlanden (Mariaburen in the new lands), however it is unclear whether it is the same village. Around 1350, a

dike Dyke (UK) or dike (US) may refer to: General uses * Dyke (slang), a slang word meaning "lesbian" * Dike (geology), a subvertical sheet-like intrusion of magma or sediment * Dike (mythology), ''Dikē'', the Greek goddess of moral justice * Dikes, ...

was built. The village was first mentioned in 1406 as Inden Nyen Lande (in the new land). Later "west" was added to distinguish itself from Oosternieland to the east. The church contains 14th century parts, however the main construction is from 1831. Due to the proximity to the Wadden Sea, the village was flooded several times. The worst flood was the Christmas Flood of 1717 when only four of the 50 houses were still habitable, and 78 people died. The church remained standing, but contained two metres of water. Westernieland was rebuilt on higher ground which explains the detached location of the church. In 1795, it became part of the municipality of

Pieterburen Pieterburen is a village in the northeastern Netherlands, located in the municipality of Het Hogeland, Groningen. History Around 1300, a dike was built north of the present village. During the 14th century, a settlement appeared on a mudflat ...

. In 1840, the population was 500 people. Even though

, the main village, is nowadays known for the

Seal Rehabilitation and Research Centre The Seal Rehabilitation and Research Centre (SRRC; nl, Zeehondencentrum Pieterburen) is located in Pieterburen, Netherlands. Lenie ‘t Hart founded the centre in 1971 and the centre has evolved from a simple "day care" for young seals to a sci ...

, the economy was partially based on seal clubbing. The last sealer in the Netherlands was Ko Teerling from Westernieland. During his best season, he had killed 600 seals. Later limits were imposed, and it was declared illegal in 1957. In 1939, an unemployed camp was constructed near the village for a

polder A polder () is a low-lying tract of land that forms an artificial hydrological entity, enclosed by embankments known as dikes. The three types of polder are: # Land reclaimed from a body of water, such as a lake or the seabed # Flood plains s ...

ing project. From 1945 to 1947, it served as an

internment Internment is the imprisonment of people, commonly in large groups, without charges or intent to file charges. The term is especially used for the confinement "of enemy citizens in wartime or of terrorism suspects". Thus, while it can simpl ...

camp for members of the NSB (Dutch Nazi party). Up to the 1970s, Westernieland was a lively community with shops. Since then, it has lost its retail and the school has closed down. In 2019, it became part of the municipality of Het Hogeland. Westernieland is one of the starting points for ''wadlopen'' (

mudflat hiking Mudflat hiking ( da, Vadehavsvandring, nl, Wadlopen, West Frisian: ''Waadrinnen'', german: Wattwandern) is a recreation enjoyed in the Netherlands, northwest Germany, Denmark, England and France. Mudflat hikers are people who, with the aid of a ...

). At

low tide Tides are the rise and fall of sea levels caused by the combined effects of the gravitational forces exerted by the Moon (and to a much lesser extent, the Sun) and are also caused by the Earth and Moon orbiting one another. Tide tables can ...

, it is possible to walk to the island of

Schiermonnikoog Schiermonnikoog (; fry, ) is an island, a municipality and national park in the Northern Netherlands. Schiermonnikoog is one of the West Frisian Islands, and is part of the province of Friesland. It is situated between the islands of Ameland a ...

. Mudflat hiking is potentially dangerous, and is only allowed under the supervision of a licensed guide.

Notable people

* Freek de Jonge (born 1944), cabaret performer and writer

Gallery

File:Westernieland - kerk - exterieur.jpg, Church of Westernieland File:Cafe Westernieland.JPG, Bar in Westernieland File:Aanzicht barak - Westernieland - 20364688 - RCE.jpg, The barracks of the unemployed camp File:Wadlopen near Pieterburen (Friesland Netherlands) (2775287644).jpg,

Mudflat hiking Mudflat hiking ( da, Vadehavsvandring, nl, Wadlopen, West Frisian: ''Waadrinnen'', german: Wattwandern) is a recreation enjoyed in the Netherlands, northwest Germany, Denmark, England and France. Mudflat hikers are people who, with the aid of a ...

near Westernieland

References

{{Authority control Het Hogeland Populated places in Groningen (province)