Bellingwedde

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Bellingwedde
Municipality
Sluice near Veelerveen

Flag
Coat of arms
Highlighted position of Bellingwedde in a municipal map of Groningen
Location in Groningen
Coordinates: 53°7′N 7°9′E / 53.117°N 7.150°E / 53.117; 7.150Coordinates: 53°7′N 7°9′E / 53.117°N 7.150°E / 53.117; 7.150
Country Netherlands
Province Groningen
Established 1 January 1968
Government[1]
 • Body Municipal council
 • Mayor (acting) Janneke Snijder-Hazelhoff (VVD)
 • Aldermen
Area[2]
 • Total 110.08 km2 (42.50 sq mi)
 • Land 108.39 km2 (41.85 sq mi)
 • Water 1.69 km2 (0.65 sq mi)
Elevation[3] 1 m (3 ft)
Population (November 2013)[4]
 • Total 8,925
 • Density 82/km2 (210/sq mi)
Time zone CET (UTC+1)
 • Summer (DST) CEST (UTC+2)
Postcode 9566, 9695–9699
Area code 0597
Website www.bellingwedde.nl

Bellingwedde (Dutch pronunciation: [ˌbɛlɪŋˈʋɛdə] ( listen)) is a municipality with a population of 8,925 in the province Groningen in the northeast of the Netherlands. It contains the villages Bellingwolde, Blijham, Oudeschans, Veelerveen, Vriescheloo, and Wedde. The acting mayor of Bellingwedde is Janneke Snijder-Hazelhoff (VVD) and the aldermen are Lea van der Tuin (CDA) and Jannes Buiter (PBB).

Etymology

The name Bellingwedde is a contraction of Bellingwolde and Wedde, which are 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 Groningen, Bellingwolde-Wedde as proposed by the municipal council 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.[5]

History

On 1 September 1968, the municipality Bellingwedde was formed by merging the municipalities of Bellingwolde and Wedde.[6]

Geography

Bellingwedde is located at 53°7′N 7°9′E / 53.117°N 7.150°E / 53.117; 7.150 in the east of the province of Groningen, in the northeast of the Netherlands on the border with Germany. 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 (west), Stadskanaal (south-west), and Vlagtwedde (south), and by the German municipalities of Rhede (south-east) and Bunde (north-east). The nearest city is Winschoten.

The municipality contains several population centres:

  • Bellingwolde (village)
  • Blijham (village)
  • Klein-Ulsda (hamlet)
  • Oudeschans (village)
  • Rhederbrug (hamlet)
  • Veelerveen (village)
  • Vriescheloo (village)
  • Wedde (village)
  • Wedderveer (hamlet)

The north border of the municipality follows the river Pekel Aa. 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.

Demographics

As of 2013, Bellingwedde has a population of 8,925 and a population density of 82 /km2 (210 /sq mi).[2][4]

Government

A municipal government in the Netherlands consists of the executive college of the mayor and aldermen and the elected municipal council. The municipal building is located at the Hoofdweg in Wedde.[7]

The municipal council consists of 13 elected members. The 2010 municipal elections had a turnout of 56.38% in Bellingwedde. As a result of the elections, the national Labour Party (PvdA) and the local Plaatselijk Belang Bellingwedde (PBB) became the two largest parties in the municipal council, with three seats each. The national parties Socialist Party (SP), People's Party for Freedom and Democracy (VVD), and Christian Democratic Appeal (CDA) have each two seats, and GreenLeft (GL) has one seat.[8]

The current appointed mayor (acting) is Janneke Snijder-Hazelhoff (VVD) and the aldermen are Lea van der Tuin (CDA) and Jannes Buiter (PBB).[9] The college of the mayor and aldermen in Bellingwedde was formed after the 2010 elections and started as a coalition between Christian Democratic Appeal, GreenLeft, and Plaatselijk Belang Bellingwedde. In August 2013, alderman Marja Bos resigned and as a result GreenLeft left the coalition.[10] In November 2013, mayor Erik Triemstra (CDA) left at the end of his six-year term.[11] Although the PvdA had the most votes, it is not part of the local coalition.[8]

2010 municipal election[8]

 
Parties Votes % +/- Seats +/-
Labour Party 1,027 24.35 -12.94 3 -2
Plaatselijk Belang Bellingwedde 851 20.18 -6.15 3 0
Socialist Party 788 18.69 +18.69 2 +2
People's Party for Freedom and Democracy 603 14.30 +3.02 2 +1
Christian Democratic Appeal 537 12.73 -0.87 2 0
GreenLeft 411 9.75 -1.75 1 -1
Total 4,217 100% 13

Mayors

The (acting) mayors of Bellingwedde since the formation of the municipality:

  • Hendrikus Johannes Eijsink (1968–1970)
  • Jurjen Jan Hoeksema (1970–1978)
  • Engbert Drenth (1979–2007)
  • Chris Arlman (2007) as acting mayor
  • Erik Triemstra (2007–2013)
  • Janneke Snijder-Hazelhoff (2013–present) as acting mayor

International relations

Bellingwedde is twinned with:

Attractions

Museum de Oude Wolden in the village of Bellingwolde

There are two museums in Bellingwedde.[15]

Museum de Oude Wolden in Bellingwolde is a regional museum about the art and history of Oldambt and Westerwolde. It has temporary exhibitions and a permanent exhibition with paintings of Lodewijk Bruckman from the municipal collection of Bellingwedde.[16]

Vestingmuseum Oudeschans in Oudeschans is a history museum about the fortification of Oudeschans. It has a collection of archaeological findings from the 17th and 18th century on display.[17]

The Wedderborg is a borg, a type of castle from the province of Groningen, in Wedde. The building has 14th, 15th, and 16th-century elements[18] and is currently used as a hotel and restaurant.[19]

References

  1. ↑ "Collegeleden" [Members of the board] (in Dutch). Gemeente. Retrieved 15 January 2014. 
  2. ↑ 2.0 2.1 "Kerncijfers wijken en buurten" [Key figures for neighbourhoods]. CBS Statline (in Dutch). CBS. 2 July 2013. Retrieved 11 July 2013. 
  3. ↑ "Postcodetool for 9698AE". Actueel Hoogtebestand Nederland (in Dutch). Het Waterschapshuis. Retrieved 15 January 2014. 
  4. ↑ 4.0 4.1 "Bevolkingsontwikkeling; regio per maand" [Population growth; regions per month]. CBS Statline (in Dutch). CBS. 23 December 2013. Retrieved 24 December 2013. 
  5. ↑ (Dutch) Henk Beernink, Zitting 1967-1968-9409, National Library of the Netherlands. Retrieved on 6 Januari 2014.
  6. ↑ Ad van der Meer & Onno Boonstra, Repertorium van Nederlandse gemeenten 1812-2006, Data Archiving and Networked Services, 2006. Retrieved on 2013-05-20.
  7. ↑ (Dutch) Contact, Gemeente Bellingwedde. Retrieved on 2013-06-13.
  8. ↑ 8.0 8.1 8.2 (Dutch) Databank Verkiezingsuitslagen, Kiesraad. Retrieved on 2013-06-14.
  9. ↑ (Dutch) Collegeleden, Gemeente Bellingwedde. Retrieved on 7 January 2014.
  10. ↑ (Dutch) Wethouder Bos neemt ontslag in Bellingwedde, RTV Noord, 2013. Retrieved on 7 January 2014.
  11. ↑ (Dutch) Burgemeester Triemstra kondigt vertrek aan, Gemeente Bellingwedde, 2013. Retrieved on 7 January 2014.
  12. ↑ 12.0 12.1 (Dutch) Partnerschappen, Gemeente Bellingwedde. Retrieved on 2013-06-13.
  13. ↑ (German) Nachbarn und Freunde, SonntagsReport, 2009. Retrieved on 2013-06-13.
  14. ↑ (Polish) Gminy partnerskie, Gmina Nowogród Bobrzański. Retrieved on 2013-06-13.
  15. ↑ (Dutch) Musea en monumenten, Gemeenste Bellingwedde. Retrieved on 11 January 2014.
  16. ↑ (Dutch) Programma, Museum de Oude Wolden. Retrieved on 11 January 2014.
  17. ↑ (Dutch) Vestingmuseum, Vesting Oudeschans. Retrieved on 11 January 2014.
  18. ↑ (Dutch) Monumentnummer: 8925, Rijksdienst voor het Cultureel Erfgoed, 2013. Retrieved on 7 February 2014.
  19. ↑ (Dutch) Burch Wedde, Stichting De Burcht Wedde. Retrieved on 7 February 2014.

External links

Oldambt Bunde (DE-NI)
Pekela
  Bellingwedde  
Stadskanaal Vlagtwedde Rhede (DE-NI)
Populated places in the municipality of Bellingwedde
Villages
Hamlets
   Municipalities of Groningen
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