Oldambt (municipality)

Oldambt (Dutch pronunciation: [ˈɔldɑm(p)t]) is a municipality with a population of 38,129 in the province of Groningen in the Netherlands. It was established in 2010 by merging the municipalities of Reiderland, Scheemda, and Winschoten. It contains the city of Winschoten and these villages:

Oldambt
Municipality
Flag
Coat of arms
Location of Oldambt in Groningen in the Netherlands
Coordinates: 53°9′N 7°2′E
CountryNetherlands
ProvinceGroningen
Established1 January 2010[1]
Government
 • BodyMunicipal council
Area
 • Total295.96 km2 (114.27 sq mi)
 • Land226.66 km2 (87.51 sq mi)
 • Water69.30 km2 (26.76 sq mi)
Elevation2 m (7 ft)
Population
 (January 2019)[5]
 • Total38,129
 • Density168/km2 (440/sq mi)
Time zoneUTC+1 (CET)
 • Summer (DST)UTC+2 (CEST)
Postcode
Parts of 9600 and 9900 ranges
Area code0596–0598
Websitegemeente-oldambt.nl

The mayor was Pieter Smit of D66.

History

The municipality of Oldambt was established 1 January 2010, as a merger of the former municipalities of Reiderland, Scheemda and Winschoten.[6][7] The first mayor of the municipality was Martin Zijlstra,[8] and the current mayor is Cora Yfke Sikkema (Groen Links).

Geography
Topography of Oldambt in 2015
Marktplein church Winschoten and tower 'Ol witte'
Guard building in Bad Nieuweschans

Oldambt is located at 53°9′N 7°2′E in the northeast of the province of Groningen in the northeast of the Netherlands on the border with Germany. Near Bad Nieuweschans is the easternmost point of the Netherlands. The municipality falls within the region of Oldambt and the western part falls within the region of Rheiderland.

The municipality is bordered by the Dutch municipalities of Delfzijl (in the north), Slochteren (northwest), Menterwolde (west), Pekela (southwest), and Bellingwedde (south), and by the German municipalities of Bunde (east), Jemgum (northeast), and Emden (north).

The municipality contains the city of Winschoten and the villages of Bad Nieuweschans, Beerta, Blauwestad, Drieborg, Finsterwolde, Heiligerlee, Midwolda, Nieuw-Beerta, Nieuwolda, Nieuw-Scheemda, Oostwold, Scheemda, 't Waar, and Westerlee.[9]

In the north of the municipality is part of the Dollart in the Wadden Sea, which is a UNESCO World Heritage Site since 2009.[10][11] In the center is the Oldambtmeer, an artificial lake of more than 800 ha.[12]

Demographics

As of 2019, Oldambt has a population of 38,129 and a population density of 168/km2 (440/sq mi).[3][5] Oldambt is a developing municipality, in the heart of the region it is building a new housing area with more than 300 houses already: Blauwestad around the artificial lake Oldambtmeer of 800 hectares.

Government

The seat of government is in the city of Winschoten. The mayor is Cora-Yfke Sikkema of Groen Links.

Transportation

The highway A7 (E22) connects the municipality to the city of Groningen in the west and Leer (Germany) in the east. The Harlingen–Nieuweschans railway runs through the municipality with train stations in Scheemda, Winschoten, and Bad Nieuweschans. The trains are currently operated by Arriva and the busses by Qbuzz.

The train stops Heiligerlee and Ulsda were closed in 1934 and 1938.

Hospital

The municipality has de most modern hospital of the province of Groningen, the Ommelander Ziekenhuis Groningen in Scheemda.

Notable people
Dirk Stikker, 1964

Sport
  • Levi Benima (1838 in Nieuweschans – 1922) a Dutch chess master
  • Rynie Wolters (1842 in Nieuweschans – 1917) the first Dutch professional baseball player
  • Jan de Bruine (1903 in Winschoten – 1983) a Dutch equestrian and silver medallist in show jumping at the 1936 Summer Olympics
  • Arie Haan (born 1948 in Finsterwolde) a Dutch football manager and former player with 419 club caps
  • Jurrie Koolhof (1960 in Beerta – 2019) a Dutch international football striker with 417 club caps and manager.
  • Marnix Kolder (born 1981 in Winschoten) a Dutch professional footballer with over 500 club caps

References
  1. "Gemeentelijke indeling op 1 januari 2010" [Municipal divisions on 1 January 2010]. cbs.nl (in Dutch). CBS. Retrieved 31 January 2014.
  2. "Samenstelling college van B&W" [Members of the board of mayor and aldermen] (in Dutch). Gemeente Oldambt. Archived from the original on 21 February 2014. Retrieved 3 February 2014.
  3. "Kerncijfers wijken en buurten 2020" [Key figures for neighbourhoods 2020]. StatLine (in Dutch). CBS. 24 July 2020. Retrieved 19 September 2020.
  4. "Postcodetool for 9671CD". Actueel Hoogtebestand Nederland (in Dutch). Het Waterschapshuis. Retrieved 3 February 2014.
  5. "Bevolkingsontwikkeling; regio per maand" [Population growth; regions per month]. CBS Statline (in Dutch). CBS. 1 January 2019. Retrieved 1 January 2019.
  6. (in Dutch) "Gemeente Oldambt welluidend van start", Dagblad van het Noorden, 2010. Retrieved on 6 January 2010.
  7. (in Dutch) Eerste Kamer stemt in met vijf gemeentelijke herindelingen, Nederlands Genootschap van Burgemeesters. Retrieved on 6 January 2010.
  8. (in Dutch) Jacob Hesseling, "Martin Zijlstra: eerste burgemeester Oldambt", Dagblad van het Noorden, 2009. Retrieved on 6 January 2010.
  9. (in Dutch) Dorpen en wijken, Gemeente Oldambt. Retrieved on 22 December 2014.
  10. Wadden Sea, UNESCO. Retrieved on 22 December 2014.
  11. Wadden Sea - Maps, UNESCO. Retrieved on 22 December 2014.
  12. (in Dutch) Blauwestad, Marketing Groningen. Retrieved on 22 December 2014.
  13. IMDb Database retrieved 6 August 2019
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