Winschoterzijl is a former hamlet in the municipality of Oldambt in the northeast of the

Netherlands ) , anthem = ( en, "William of Nassau") , image_map = , map_caption = , subdivision_type = Sovereign state , subdivision_name = Kingdom of the Netherlands , established_title = Before independence , established_date = Spanish Netherl ...

. It was also a

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 ...

, and is still a lock. The village was settled by

Lutheran Lutheranism is one of the largest branches of Protestantism, identifying primarily with the theology of Martin Luther, the 16th-century German monk and reformer whose efforts to reform the theology and practice of the Catholic Church launched th ...

refugees from

East Frisia East Frisia or East Friesland (german: Ostfriesland; ; stq, Aastfräislound) is a historic region in the northwest of Lower Saxony, Germany. It is primarily located on the western half of the East Frisian peninsula, to the east of West Frisia ...

during the

Thirty Years' War The Thirty Years' War was one of the longest and most destructive conflicts in European history The history of Europe is traditionally divided into four time periods: prehistoric Europe (prior to about 800 BC), classical antiquity (80 ...

(1618–1648). In 1992, Winschoterzijl was demolished during the widening of the Pekel A.

History

In 1593, a lock was built near the confluence of the rivers and Pekel A. In 1608, the river from the

Dollart The Dollart (German name) or Dollard (Dutch name) is a bay in the Wadden Sea between the northern Netherlands and Germany, on the west side of the estuary of the Ems river. Most of it dries at low tide. Many water birds feed there. Gaining ...

to Winschoterzijl was canalised and widened to 30 feet as the Nieuwediep (now:

Winschoterdiep The Winschoterdiep () is a canal in the province Groningen of the Netherlands. It leads to the Rensel, which is actually part of this canal. Construction was started in 1618 and finished in 1634. The Winschoterdiep's total length is 35.5 kilo ...

). In 1628, a

(fortification) was constructed at Winschoterzijl to protect the

Province of Groningen Groningen (; gos, Grunn; fry, Grinslân) is the northeasternmost province of the Netherlands. It borders on Friesland to the west, Drenthe to the south, the German state of Lower Saxony to the east, and the Wadden Sea to the north. As of Feb ...

from enemy attack. In nearby

, a religious war fought as part of the

(1618–1648).

refugees settled in Winschoterzijl, because the area around

Winschoten Winschoten (; gos, Winschoot) is a city with a population of 18,518 in the municipality of Oldambt in the northeast of the Netherlands. It is the largest city in the region of Oldambt in the province of Groningen which has 38,213 inhabitants. ...

was not governed 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 ...

which did not accept refugees, but was a domain of the

Princes of Orange Prince of Orange (or Princess of Orange if the holder is female) is a title originally associated with the sovereign Principality of Orange, in what is now southern France and subsequently held by sovereigns in the Netherlands. The title ...

who allowed Lutherans. On 7 September 1672, the army of

Münster Münster (; nds, Mönster) is an independent city (''Kreisfreie Stadt'') in North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany. It is in the northern part of the state and is considered to be the cultural centre of the Westphalia region. It is also a state distr ...

attacked Groningen, and managed to take Winschoterzijl and the city of Winschoten. The Dutch States Army launched a counter-attack, and the army of Münster was forced to retreat. Winschoterzijl was liberated several days later. In 1695, a Lutheran church was built in Winschoterzijl, and inaugurated in 1696. On 1 April 1753,

Catholics The Catholic Church, also known as the Roman Catholic Church, is the largest Christian church, with 1.3 billion baptized Catholics worldwide . It is among the world's oldest and largest international institutions, and has played a ...

were given permission to establish a church in Winschoterzijl. During

mass Mass is an intrinsic property of a body. It was traditionally believed to be related to the quantity of matter in a physical body, until the discovery of the atom and particle physics. It was found that different atoms and different elementar ...

they were attacked by several hundred farmers and beaten up. In 1804, two windmills were built in Winschoterzijl as windpumps.

De Olde Molen De Olde Molen is a windmill in Palm Beach, Aruba. It was originally built in 1815 as a windpump in Winschoterzijl, Groningen, Netherlands. In 1897, it was moved to Wedderveer, Groningen where it served as a gristmill. In 1960, it was bought by ...

, one of the windmills burned down in 1814, and was rebuilt in 1815, and has been relocated to

Palm Beach, Aruba Palm Beach is a tourism district about 6 kilometers (3.7 miles) northwest of Oranjestad, the capital of Aruba. A number of high rise hotels are located there, such as Hyatt Regency Aruba Resort & Casino, Aruba Marriott Resort, The Barceló, Holi ...

. Winschoterzijl remained a small village, and in 1820s a decision was taken to move the church to Winschoten. In 1836, the church was disassembled and rebuilt in Winschoten. At the 1840 census, the population was 69 people spread over the municipalities

Wedde Wedde () is a village in the municipality Westerwolde in the province Groningen in the Netherlands. It is located 9 km southeast of Winschoten. The castle Wedderborg is located in the village. History Most of Westerwolde was a raised bo ...

Beerta Beerta () is a village and former municipality with a population of 2,205 in the municipality of Oldambt in the province of Groningen in the Netherlands. In the 20th century, Beerta was a communist stronghold. In 1933, the municipal council was d ...

and Winschoten. Around 1870, the Van Gogh bridge was constructed. The origin of the name of the bridge is unclear. A decision was taken to widen the Pekel A. The last house in Winschoterzijl was demolished in 1992, the Van Gogh bridge was moved to Winschoten near the

McDonald's McDonald's Corporation is an American Multinational corporation, multinational fast food chain store, chain, founded in 1940 as a restaurant operated by Richard and Maurice McDonald, in San Bernardino, California, United States. They rechri ...

, and the hamlet was officially disestablished.

Legacy

The lock is still present and called Winschoterzijl. Even though the hamlet has been disestablished, there are a couple of farms left. In 2013, the municipality of

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 ...

placed a city limits sign at the remaining part of Winschoterzijl in their municipality. There is also a street sign in Winschoten giving directions to Winschoterzijl, however there is no sign to inform you that you've reached the hamlet. One of the farms is named Landgoed Winschoterzijl, and offers a camping.

References

External links

* {{Authority control Former populated places in the Netherlands Oldambt (municipality) 1992 disestablishments in the Netherlands Fortifications in the Netherlands Locks of the Netherlands