Bourtange (; Gronings: ''Boertang'') is a village with a population of 430 in the municipality of Westerwolde in the Netherlands. It is situated in the region Westerwolde in the east of the 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 ...

near the

German German(s) may refer to: * Germany (of or related to) **Germania (historical use) * Germans, citizens of Germany, people of German ancestry, or native speakers of the German language ** For citizens of Germany, see also German nationality law **Ger ...

border. Fort Bourtange was built in 1593 during the

Dutch Revolt The Eighty Years' War or Dutch Revolt ( nl, Nederlandse Opstand) (Historiography of the Eighty Years' War#Name and periodisation, c.1566/1568–1648) was an armed conflict in the Habsburg Netherlands between disparate groups of rebels and t ...

and was used until 1851. Between 1967 and 1992 the

star fort A bastion fort or ''trace italienne'' (a phrase derived from non-standard French, literally meaning ''Italian outline'') is a fortification in a style that evolved during the early modern period of gunpowder when the cannon came to domin ...

was gradually restored to its mid-18th-century state and it is currently an open-air museum.

Etymology

The name ''Bourtange'' comes from the Dutch word ''tange'' (sand ridge), because the settlement is situated on a strategically important sand ridge in the marshes of the Bourtange Moor.

History

Fort Bourtange was initially built 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 ...

(''circa'' 1568–1648) when William I of Orange wanted to control the main road between Germany and the city of

which was controlled by the Spanish. This road followed a sandy ridge (''tange'') through the marshes (the

Bourtange Swamp The Bourtanger Moor ( Dutch: ''Bourtangerveen/Bourtangermoeras'', German: ''Bourtanger Moor'', Low Saxon: ''Boertanger Moor'') was a bog in eastern parts in the Dutch provinces of Drenthe and Groningen and the bordering German districts of Ben ...

). Later, around 1594, Bourtange became part of the fortifications on the border between the northern provinces (

, Friesland,

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 ...

) and Germany. Bourtange was a separate municipality until 1822, when it was merged with

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 ...

. In 1851 the

was given up and Bourtange became a normal village. Around 1960 living conditions in the village deteriorated and it was decided that Bourtange would be rebuilt to its state of 1740-1750. Today it is an open-air museum.

Geography

Bourtange is located in the center of the municipality of Westerwolde and in the east of the province of

near the

border. It is situated on a sand ridge in the Bourtange Moor, in the region of Westerwolde.

Demographics

In 2001, the town of Bourtange had 267 inhabitants. The built-up area of the town was 0.21 km², and contained 133 residences. Statistics Netherlands (CBS)
''Bevolkingskernen in Nederland 2001''
. (Statistics are for the continuous built-up area). In 2005, the statistical area "Bourtange", which also can include the surrounding countryside, had a population of around 530. Statistics Netherlands (CBS)
''Statline: Kerncijfers wijken en buurten 2003-2005''
. As of 1 January 2005. As of 2012, Bourtange has a population of 430 and a population density of .

References

External links

* * {{Authority control Former municipalities of Groningen (province) Populated places in Groningen (province) Westerwolde (municipality) Marsh castles