Bellingwedde () was a

municipality A municipality is usually a single administrative division having corporate status and powers of self-government or jurisdiction as granted by national and regional laws to which it is subordinate. The term ''municipality'' may also mean the go ...

with a population of in the province

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 ...

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 ...

. Bellingwedde was established in 1968, when the municipalities of Bellingwolde and Wedde had merged. It contained the villages

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 ...

Blijham Blijham () is a village with a population of 2,240 in the municipality of Westerwolde in the province of Groningen in the Netherlands. The origins of the settlement date back to the 11th century. Until 1968, Blijham was part of the municipality ...

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 ...

Veelerveen Veelerveen () is a linear village with a population of around 720 in the municipality of Westerwolde in the Netherlands. History In 1968, Veelerveen became part of Bellingwedde. And in 2018, part of Westerwolde. Geography Veelerveen is loc ...

Vriescheloo Vriescheloo (; Gronings: ''Vraiskeloo'') is a village in the municipality of Westerwolde in the Netherlands. History Vrieschloo is a linear settlement on the sand ridge which formed the old road between Groningen and Germany. The village date ...

, and

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 ...

. After almost 50 year, Bellingwedde was disestablished in 2018, when the municipalities of Bellingwedde and

Vlagtwedde Vlagtwedde () is a village in the very southeast of Groningen province in the northeastern Netherlands. It lies on the Dutch border with the German state of Lower Saxony to the east. History The municipality of Vlagtwedde was created in Decemb ...

had merged into Westerwolde.

Etymology

The name ''Bellingwedde'' is a

portmanteau A portmanteau word, or portmanteau (, ) is a blend of wordsBellingwolde 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 ...

'' and ''

'', which are the names of the two municipalities that were merged in 1968 to form Bellingwedde. At the time, three names were being considered for the new municipality: ''Bellingewedde'' as proposed by the province of

, ''Bellingwolde-Wedde'' as proposed by the

municipal council A municipal council is the legislative body of a municipality or local government area. Depending on the location and classification of the municipality it may be known as a city council, town council, town board, community council, rural counci ...

of Bellingwolde, and ''Bellingwedde'' as proposed by the municipal council of Wedde. The province selected the last option, which was eventually also accepted by the municipal council of Bellingwolde.

History

On 1 September 1968, the municipality Bellingwedde was formed by merging the municipalities of Bellingwolde and Wedde. Henk Eijsink of the Labour Party, who was the last mayor of Bellingwolde and acting mayor of Wedde, became the first

mayor of Bellingwedde There have been six mayors of Bellingwedde between the establishment of the municipality on 1 September 1968 and its disestablishment on 1 January 2018. References {{reflist, 30em Westerwolde (municipality) Bellingwedde Bellingwedde () w ...

in 1968–1970. He was followed by Jurjen Jan Hoeksema (Labour Party; 1970–1978), Engbert Drenth (Labour Party; 1979–2007), Erik Triemstra (

Christian Democratic Appeal The Christian Democratic Appeal ( nl, Christen-Democratisch Appèl, ; CDA) is a Christian-democratic political party in the Netherlands. It was originally formed in 1977 from a confederation of the Catholic People's Party, the Anti-Revolutionary ...

; 2007–2013), and

Janneke Snijder-Hazelhoff Janna Fennechien "Janneke" Snijder-Hazelhoff (born 26 December 1952) is a Dutch farmer and politician. As a member of the People's Party for Freedom and Democracy (Volkspartij voor Vrijheid en Democratie) she was an House of Representatives of th ...

(

People's Party for Freedom and Democracy The People's Party for Freedom and Democracy ( nl, Volkspartij voor Vrijheid en Democratie ; VVD) is a conservative-liberal Andeweg, R. and G. Irwin ''Politics and Governance in the Netherlands'', Basingstoke (Palgrave) p.49 political party in ...

; 2013–2018). The municipality has merged with

into the new municipality of Westerwolde on 1 January 2018.

Geography

Bellingwedde is located at in the east of the province of

, in the northeast of the

on the border with

Germany Germany,, officially the Federal Republic of Germany, is a country in Central Europe. It is the second most populous country in Europe after Russia, and the most populous member state of the European Union. Germany is situated betwe ...

. It is in the south of the region of Oldambt and in the north of the region of Westerwolde. Bellingwedde is bordered by the Dutch municipalities of Oldambt (in the north),

Pekela Pekela () is a municipality in the province of Groningen in the Netherlands. It was created in 1990 when Oude Pekela and Nieuwe Pekela were merged. History The municipality of Pekela was created when the municipalities of Oude Pekela and Nieuw ...

(west),

Stadskanaal Stadskanaal () is a town and municipality with a population of 32,715 in the province of Groningen in the northeast of the Netherlands. It was named after the canal Stadskanaal. From 1800 until 1900 this area was ideal for its peat mining, and so ...

(south-west), and

(south), and by the German municipalities of

Rhede Rhede () is a municipality in the district of Borken in the state of North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany. It is located near the border with the Netherlands, approximately east of Bocholt. Notable residents * Thomas Giessing, athlete and Olympic ...

(south-east) and Bunde (north-east). The nearest city is

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. ...

. The municipality contains the villages

, and

. It also contains the hamlets

Den Ham Den Ham ɛn ɦɑmis a village in the Dutch province of Overijssel. It is located in the municipality of Twenterand, about 15 km northwest of Almelo. Den Ham was a separate municipality until 2001, when it became a part of Vriezenveen. It ...

Klein-Ulsda Klein-Ulsda (; en, Small Ulsda) is a hamlet near Oudeschans in the municipality of Westerwolde in the Netherlands. The hamlet was first mentioned between 1851 and 1855 Kl. Ulsda, and means little Ulsda Ulsda (; Gronings: ''Olsde'') is a haml ...

Rhederbrug Rhederbrug (; en, Rhede's Bridge) is a hamlet near Bellingwolde in the municipality of Westerwolde in the Netherlands. The hamlet has a population of 240. The hamlet was first mentioned in 1983 as Rhederbrug, and means bridge to Rhede in German ...

, and

Wedderveer Wedderveer () is a hamlet near Wedde in the municipality of Westerwolde in the Netherlands. It has a population of around 135 and a total area of . The sawmill Spinnenkop has been listed as a national heritage site since 1990.Pekel Aa Pekel A (also Pekel Aa; ) is a river in the Groningen (province), Province of Groningen in the Netherlands. The villages of Oude Pekela and Nieuwe Pekela have been named after the river. The name translates to Brine ('':nl:Pekel, Pekel'') River ( ...

. The river Westerwoldse Aa crosses the east of Bellingwedde from south to north. The canal B.L. Tijdenskanaal, that unites the Mussel-Aa-kanaal and the Ruiten-Aa-kanaal in the south, crosses the west of Bellingwedde from south to north.

Governance

A municipal government in the Netherlands consists of the executive college of the mayor and aldermen and the elected

. The

municipal building Municipal Building may refer to the following places: United States Arkansas *Crossett Municipal Building, Crossett, AR, List of RHPs in AR, listed on the NRHP in Arkansas *Municipal Building (El Dorado, Arkansas), El Dorado, AR, List of RHPs in A ...

is located at the Hoofdweg in Wedde.

of the

has been the appointed

since 2013. The municipal council consists of 13 elected members. In the 2014 municipal elections the turnout in Bellingwedde was 57.57% with 4,191 valid votes. The

Socialist Party Socialist Party is the name of many different political parties around the world. All of these parties claim to uphold some form of socialism, though they may have very different interpretations of what "socialism" means. Statistically, most of th ...

got the most votes, followed by the Labour Party, the

, and the People's Party for Freedom and Democracy.Verkiezingsuitslagen Gemeenteraad 1918 - heden
(in Dutch), Electoral Council. Retrieved 19 June 2016. A coalition was formed between the Labour Party (PvdA), the Christian Democratic Appeal (CDA), and the People's Party for Freedom and Democracy (VVD). All three parties have one alderman in the college of mayor and aldermen: Bart Huizing (PvdA), Lea van der Tuin (CDA), and Wim 't Mannetje (VVD). Although the Socialist Party got the most electoral votes, it is not part of the coalition. , -style="background:#E9E9E9;" !colspan="2" align="left", Party !Votes !% !Seats , - , bgcolor="", , align="left",

, 1,116 , 26.63 , align="center", 3 , - , bgcolor="", , align="left", Labour Party , 853 , 20.35 , align="center", 3 , - , bgcolor="", , align="left",

, 572 , 13.65 , align="center", 2 , - , bgcolor="", , align="left",

, 531 , 12.67 , align="center", 2 , - , bgcolor="", , align="left",

GreenLeft GroenLinks (, ) is a green political party in the Netherlands. It was formed on 1 March 1989 from the merger of four left-wing parties: the Communist Party of the Netherlands, the Pacifist Socialist Party, the Political Party of Radicals and t ...

, 493 , 11.76 , align="center", 1 , - , , align="left", Plaatselijk Belang Bellingwedde , 355 , 8.47 , align="center", 1 , - , , align="left",

Westerwolde Lokaal Westerwolde may refer to: * Westerwolde (region), a region in the Netherlands * Westerwolde (municipality) Westerwolde (; Gronings: ''Westerwoolde'') is a municipality in the province of Groningen in the northeast of the Netherlands. The munici ...

, 271 , 6.47 , align="center", 1 , - , -style="background:#E9E9E9;" !colspan="2" align="left", Total !4,191 !100 !align="center", 13 Bellingwedde is twinned with

in Germany since 1979 and

Nowogród Bobrzański Nowogród Bobrzański (german: Naumburg am Bober) is a town on the Bóbr river in Zielona Góra County, Lubusz Voivodeship, Poland, with 5,165 inhabitants (2019). It is the administrative seat of the Gmina Nowogród Bobrzański. The gmina was c ...

in Poland since 2004.Partnerschappen
(in Dutch), Gemeente Bellingwedde. Retrieved 13 June 2013.

Demographics

Since 1968, when the municipality was established, Bellingwedde had a population between 8,561 and 9,748. In 2015, it had a

population Population typically refers to the number of people in a single area, whether it be a city or town, region, country, continent, or the world. Governments typically quantify the size of the resident population within their jurisdiction using a ...

of 9,154 and a

population density Population density (in agriculture: standing stock or plant density) is a measurement of population per unit land area. It is mostly applied to humans, but sometimes to other living organisms too. It is a key geographical term.Matt RosenberPopul ...

of .

Attractions

Two villages have a state protected village area ( nl, beschermd dorpsgezicht), Oudeschans since 1991 and Bellingwolde since 2009. There are two museums in Bellingwedde.

Museum de Oude Wolden Museum de Oude Wolden (; en, Museum The Old Wolds), abbreviated as MOW, is a regional museum in the village of Bellingwolde in the Netherlands. The museum focuses on art and history of the regions of Oldambt and Westerwolde in the east of t ...

in Bellingwolde is a

regional museum In geography, regions, otherwise referred to as zones, lands or territories, are areas that are broadly divided by physical characteristics (physical geography), human impact characteristics (human geography), and the interaction of humanity and t ...

about the art and history of Oldambt and Westerwolde. It has temporary exhibitions and a permanent exhibition with paintings of

Lodewijk Bruckman Lodewijk Karel "Loki" Bruckman (; 14 August 1903 – 24 April 1995) was a Dutch magic realist painter. He lived and worked in the Netherlands, the United States, and Mexico. Museum de Oude Wolden in the village of Bellingwolde has a permanent ...

from the municipal collection of Bellingwedde.

Vestingmuseum Oudeschans Vestingmuseum Oudeschans (; en, Oudeschans Fortification Museum) is a local museum in the village of Oudeschans in the Netherlands. The museum shows the history of the 16th-century fortification of Oudeschans and has a collection of archaeologi ...

in Oudeschans is a

history museum A museum ( ; plural museums or, rarely, musea) is a building or institution that cares for and displays a collection of artifacts and other objects of artistic, cultural, historical, or scientific importance. Many public museums make these i ...

about the

fortification A fortification is a military construction or building designed for the defense of territories in warfare, and is also used to establish rule in a region during peacetime. The term is derived from Latin ''fortis'' ("strong") and ''facere'' ...

of Oudeschans. It has a collection of archaeological findings from the 17th and 18th century on display. There are five windmills in the municipality: De Korenbloem in Vriescheloo, Niemans Molen in Veelerveen, Spinnenkop Wedderveer in Wedderveer,

Veldkamps Meuln Veldkamps Meuln (; en, Veldkamp's Mill) is a 19th-century tower mill in the village of Bellingwolde in the Netherlands. Location Veldkamps Meuln is located at the Hoofdweg in the village of Bellingwolde in the east of the province of Groningen ...

in Bellingwolde, and Weddermarke in Wedde. The

Wedderborg The Wedderborg (; Borough of Wedde) is a ''borg'', a type of castle in Groningen, in the village of Wedde in the Netherlands. The building has 14th, 15th, and 16th-century elements and is currently used as a hotel and restaurant. Wedderborg was ...

is a ''

borg The Borg are an alien group that appear as recurring antagonists in the ''Star Trek'' fictional universe. The Borg are Cyborg, cybernetic organisms (cyborgs) linked in a Group mind (science fiction), hive mind called "the Collective". The Borg ...

'', a type of castle from the province of Groningen, in Wedde. The building has 14th, 15th, and 16th-century elements and is currently used as a hotel and restaurant.

Infrastructure

Roads

There are no highways in Bellingwedde. The nearest highway is the A7 ( E22) directly north of the municipality and which is connected to

in the west and Leer (Germany) in the east; its nearest access point is exit 48 (Oudeschans). There are four provincial roads in the municipality. In the northwest, the N367 connects the municipality to

and Oude and

Nieuwe Pekela Nieuwe Pekela ( Gronings: ''Nij Pekel'') is a village in the Dutch province of Groningen. It is located in the municipality of Pekela, about 7 km southeast of Veendam. The village started as a peat colony, and was named after the river Pekel ...

. The N368 runs from northwest to southwest, connects Blijham via Wedde to

, and also connects to the other three major roads. The N969 runs from west to southeast and connects Blijham via Bellingwolde and Rhederbrug to

in Germany. And the N973 runs from southwest to the center and connects Wedde via Vriescheloo to Bellingwolde.

Public transport

There are also no railways in Bellingwedde. The nearest railway stations are

and

Bad 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 (municipality), Oldambt. Nieuw ...

on the

Harlingen–Nieuweschans railway The Harlingen–Nieuweschans railway is a railway line in the Netherlands running from the port of Harlingen to Bad Nieuweschans, passing through Leeuwarden and Groningen. The line was opened between 1863 and 1868. It is also known as the ''Staa ...

just north of Bellingwedde. The railway is connected to the

Groningen railway station Groningen railway station (; abbreviation: Gn), locally called ''Hoofdstation'' (main station), is the main railway station in Groningen in the Province of Groningen, Netherlands. It is located on the Harlingen–Nieuweschans railway between Zu ...

and the rest of the Dutch railway network in the west and to the

Leer railway station Leer (Ostfriesland) () is a railway station in the town of Leer in Lower Saxony, Germany. The railway station is situated on the Emsland Railway between the railway stations of Emden and Papenburg and it is the railway terminus on the Oldenburg� ...

and the German railway network in the east. The bus lines passing through Bellingwedde are exploited by

Qbuzz Qbuzz is a public transport company in the Netherlands that operates services in South Holland, Utrecht, Drenthe and Groningen. Founded in 2008, it was a 100% subsidiary of Nederlandse Spoorwegen (the Dutch National Railway Operator) between 2 ...

(places in Bellingwedde are in italics): * Line 11: Winschoten – ''Blijham'' – ''Wedderveer'' – ''Wedde'' – Veele – Vlagtwedde – Bourtange * Line 12: Winschoten – ''Blijham'' – ''Bellingwolde'' – ''Blijham'' – Winschoten * Line 14: Stadskanaal – Alteveer – Tange – Onstwedde – Barlage – Smeerling – Vlagtwedde – Veele – ''Wedde'' – ''Wedderveer'' – ''Blijham'' – Winschoten * Line 811: Bad Nieuweschans – ''Klein-Ulsda'' – ''Oudeschans'' – ''Bellingwolde'' – ''Vriescheloo'' – ''Veelerveen'' – Vlagtwedde

Education

There are four

preschool A preschool, also known as nursery school, pre-primary school, or play school or creche, is an educational establishment or learning space offering early childhood education to children before they begin compulsory education at primary school ...

s, seven

primary school A primary school (in Ireland, the United Kingdom, Australia, Trinidad and Tobago, Jamaica, and South Africa), junior school (in Australia), elementary school or grade school (in North America and the Philippines) is a school for primary e ...

s, and one

secondary school A secondary school describes an institution that provides secondary education and also usually includes the building where this takes place. Some secondary schools provide both '' secondary education, lower secondary education'' (ages 11 to 14) ...

in Bellingwedde. There are no institutes of

tertiary education Tertiary education, also referred to as third-level, third-stage or post-secondary education, is the educational level following the completion of secondary education. The World Bank, for example, defines tertiary education as including univers ...

in the municipality.

Media

''Het Streekblad'' is a

free Free may refer to: Concept * Freedom, having the ability to do something, without having to obey anyone/anything * Freethought, a position that beliefs should be formed only on the basis of logic, reason, and empiricism * Emancipate, to procur ...

door-to-door

weekly newspaper A weekly newspaper is a general-news or Current affairs (news format), current affairs publication that is issued once or twice a week in a wide variety broadsheet, magazine, and electronic publishing, digital formats. Similarly, a biweekly new ...

in the municipalities of Bellingwedde, Oldambt, and

. ''

Dagblad van het Noorden The ''Dagblad van het Noorden'' (; en, Daily of the North), abbreviated as ''DvhN'', is a Dutch regional daily newspaper that is published and circulated in the provinces of Groningen and Drenthe in the northeastern Netherlands. The newspaper is ...

'' is a

daily newspaper A newspaper is a periodical publication containing written information about current events and is often typed in black ink with a white or gray background. Newspapers can cover a wide variety of fields such as politics, business, sports a ...

in the northern provinces of the Netherlands. Radio Westerwolde is a

radio Radio is the technology of signaling and communicating using radio waves. Radio waves are electromagnetic waves of frequency between 30 hertz (Hz) and 300 gigahertz (GHz). They are generated by an electronic device called a transmit ...

channel in the municipalities of Bellingwedde, Pekela, and

.Arjan Brondijk,
Twintig jaar Radio Westerwolde: terugblikken en bluesfeest
(in Dutch), ''Het Streekblad'', 2013. Retrieved 28 December 2015.

Notable people

* Jan Mulder (born 1945 in Bellingwolde), footballer, writer, and commentator

References

External links

* (in Dutch) {{Authority control Westerwolde (municipality) Former municipalities of Groningen (province) Municipalities of the Netherlands disestablished in 2018