Alteveer () is a village in the

Dutch Dutch or Nederlands commonly refers to: * Something of, from, or related to the Netherlands ** Dutch people as an ethnic group () ** Dutch nationality law, history and regulations of Dutch citizenship () ** Dutch language () * In specific terms, i ...

province of

Groningen Groningen ( , ; ; or ) is the capital city and main municipality of Groningen (province), Groningen province in the Netherlands. Dubbed the "capital of the north", Groningen is the largest place as well as the economic and cultural centre of ...

. It is largely located in the municipality

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 ...

, about 7 km northeast of the centre of Stadskanaal. The houses on the western edge of the village are part of the municipality of Pekela. The name literally means "all too far".

Overview

Alteveer was founded along the Alteveer canal, which runs north from Stadskanaal. The canal was dug to exploit the

peat Peat is an accumulation of partially Decomposition, decayed vegetation or organic matter. It is unique to natural areas called peatlands, bogs, mires, Moorland, moors, or muskegs. ''Sphagnum'' moss, also called peat moss, is one of the most ...

in the area in the late 19th century. The village was founded in the early 20th century as a

linear settlement A linear settlement is a (normally small to medium-sized) settlement or group of buildings that is formed in a long line. Many of these settlements are formed along a transport route, such as a road, river, or canal. Others form due to physical r ...

along the road from

Nieuwe Pekela Nieuwe Pekela (Gronings dialect, Gronings: ''Nij Pekel'') is a village in the Netherlands, Dutch province of Groningen (province), Groningen. It is located in the municipality of Pekela, about 7 km southeast of Veendam. The village started as ...

Onstwedde Onstwedde () is a village in the region of Westerwolde and part of Groningen in the Netherlands. It is located in the municipality of Stadskanaal. Onstwedde was also the former name of the municipality of Stadskanaal, until 1969. History Onst ...

. Some of the houses in the village were

sod house The sod house or soddy was a common alternative to the log cabin during frontier settlement of the Great Plains of North America in the 1800s and early 1900s. Primarily used at first for animal shelters, corrals, and fences, they came into use ...

s. In the early 20th century, most of the sod houses were condemned. The last house was used by Fennechien Wiekens. In 1941, her house was moved to the

Netherlands Open Air Museum The Netherlands Open Air Museum () is a national open-air museum located in Arnhem. It focuses on the culture associated with the everyday lives of ordinary people, and demonstrating the old way of life in the Netherlands. The park was establishe ...

where it is still on display. Older topographical maps show that a part of the current village of Alteveer was formerly part of the neighbouring village of ; a name now used for the houses closer to the village of Onstwedde. The part of the village in Pekela ceased to be a statistical area after the mid 1990s, and has become part of

Tange-Alteveer op de topografische kaart van 1933

References

External links

* {{Authority control Populated places in Groningen (province) Pekela Stadskanaal