Wildervank

Wildervank is a village in the Dutch province of Groningen. It is located in the municipality of Veendam, about 3 km south of the centre of Veendam itself. It was founded in 1647 by Adriaan Geerts Wildervanck as a peat colony in the Wildervankster bog. Wildervank was a separate municipality until 1969, when the area was divided between Veendam and Stadskanaal.[3]

Wildervank
Village
Protestant Church in 2005
Protestant Church in 2005
Flag of Wildervank
Flag
Coat of arms of Wildervank
Coat of arms
Wildervank is located in Groningen (province)
Wildervank
Wildervank
Location in the province of Groningen in the Netherlands
Wildervank is located in Netherlands
Wildervank
Wildervank
Wildervank (Netherlands)
Coordinates: 53°05′N 6°52′E
CountryNetherlands
ProvinceGroningen
MunicipalityVeendam
Established1647
Area
[1]
 • Total28.09 km2 (10.85 sq mi)
Elevation
[2]
2 m (7 ft)
Population
 (2021)[1]
 • Total5,455
 • Density190/km2 (500/sq mi)
Postal code
9648
Area code0598
Major roadsN33

History

The Wildervankster bog was a raised bog located to the west of Oude Pekela. Adriaan Geerts settled in Oude Pekela to study the exploitation of peat by the city of Groningen. The Wildevankster bog was still untouched, and Geerts wanted to purchase it. He bought the bog in 1647 in order to establish his own peat colony, but needed to procure a ƒ250,000 mortgage from an Amsterdam merchant.[4] Geerts would later use the surname Wildervanck.[5] The colony was moderately successful, however the heavy mortgage payments forced Wildervanck to sell large parts of the colony.[4]

In 1687, the church was finished in Wildervank.[6] It was named Margaretha Hardenberg Church after the wife of Adriaan Wildervanck.[5] The parish separated from Oude Pekela in 1702. Wildervank was originally a linear settlement along the canal.[6] It would remain an independent municipality until 1969 when it merged into Veendam except for a small part which was added to Stadskanaal.[5]

Notable people

References
  1. "Kerncijfers wijken en buurten 2021". Central Bureau Statistics. Retrieved 26 February 2022.
  2. "Postcodetool for 9648AA". Actueel Hoogtebestand Nederland (in Dutch). Het Waterschapshuis. Retrieved 27 February 2022.
  3. Ad van der Meer and Onno Boonstra, Repertorium van Nederlandse gemeenten, KNAW, 2011.
  4. "Groninger Boegbeeld 10: Adriaan Geerts Wildervanck". De verhalen van Groningen (in Dutch). Retrieved 27 February 2022.
  5. "Wildervank". Plaatsengids. Retrieved 27 February 2022.
  6. Redmer Alma (1998). Wildervank. Zwolle: Waanders Uitgevers. p. 227. ISBN 90 400 9258 3.
  7. "Jan Johannes de Blécourt". Olympedia. Retrieved 27 February 2022.
  8. "Geertens, Gerda (born in 1955)". Musica Net. Retrieved 27 February 2022.
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