Westerwolde (; Gronings: ''Westerwoolde'') is 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 ...

in the province of Groningen 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 ...

. The municipalities of Bellingwedde and Vlagtwedde have merged into the new municipality of Westerwolde on 1 January 2018. The municipality continues to use both municipal halls in Sellingen and Wedde.Marcel Looden,
Westerwolde: 40 mensen tekort
(in Dutch), ''

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 ...

'', 2017. Retrieved 17 December 2017.

Geography

The municipality is located in the southeast of the province of Groningen at the border with Drenthe and in the northeast of the

at 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 ...

. Neighbouring municipalities in the Netherlands are 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 Nie ...

and

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 ...

in the west, Borger-Odoorn in the southwest, and Emmen in the south. Neighbouring municipalities in Germany are Bunde in the northeast,

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 ) , anthem = ( en, "William of Nassau") , image_map = , map_caption = , subdivis ...

Dörpen Dörpen is a municipality in the Emsland district, in Lower Saxony, 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 ...

, and Lathen in the east, and Haren in the southeast.

Politics

On 22 November 2017, municipal elections were held to elect the members of the municipal council of Westerwolde. The result is shown in the table below. 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 counc ...

will have 19 seats, because the population size was just under 25,000 in 2017.

Notable people

* Siert Bruins (1921 in Weite – 2015) a Dutch member of the SS and SD during World War II * Minze Stuiver (born 1929 in Vlagtwedde) a geochemist and geoscience researcher especially in radiocarbon dating * Jan Mulder (born 1945 in Bellingwolde) former footballer with 200 caps, writer, columnist and TV personality * Geert Meijer (born 1951 in Sellingen) football manager and former professional player with 295 caps * Anja Hazekamp (born 1968 in Vlagtwedde) politician and

Member of the European Parliament A Member of the European Parliament (MEP) is a person who has been elected to serve as a popular representative in the European Parliament. When the European Parliament (then known as the Common Assembly of the ECSC) first met in 1952, its ...

* Claudia Bokel (born 1973 in Ter Apel) a German épée fencer, silver medallist at the 2004 Summer Olympics * Rindert van Zinderen Bakker (Ter Apel 1912 - Almere Haven 1993) member of the Dutch Resistance in WWII, Dachau deportee, and politician

Gallery

File:20140903 Klooster Ter Apel Gn NL.jpg, The south wall of the Ter Apel Monastery File:Haren+Westerwolde - Ter Apeler Straße + Rütenbrockerweg + HRK 06 ies.jpg, Haren+Westerwolde - Ter Apeler Straße + Rütenbrockerweg File:Westerwolde Ter Apel - Boslaan + Hotel Boschhuis 01 ies.jpg, Boslaan with Hotel Boschhuis in Ter Apel File:0620180508 Spinnenkop Wedderveer.jpg, Molen de Spinnenkop in Wedderveer

References

External links

* (in Dutch) Municipalities of Groningen (province) Municipalities of the Netherlands established in 2018 {{Groningen-geo-stub