Winschoten

Winschoten Winschoot(Gronings)
City
City center of Winschoten in 2010
Flag Coat of arms (former) brandmark
Nickname(s): Sodom, Molenstad
Location in Groningen
Winschoten Location in the province ofGroningenin theNetherlands Winschoten Winschoten (Netherlands)
Coordinates:53°9′N7°2′E
Country	Netherlands
Province	Groningen
Municipality	Oldambt
Area (2006)
• Total	22.24 km2(8.59 sq mi)
• Land	21.66 km2(8.36 sq mi)
• Water	0.58 km2(0.22 sq mi)
Population (1 January 2007)
• Total	18,518
• Density	830/km2(2,200/sq mi)
Time zone	UTC+1(CET)
• Summer (DST)	UTC+2(CEST)
Postal code	9670–9675
Area code	0597

Winschoten(Dutch:[ˈʋɪnsxoːtə(n)];Gronings:Winschoot) is acitywith a population of 18,518 in the municipality ofOldambtin the northeast of theNetherlands.It is the largest city in the region ofOldambtin the province ofGroningenwhich has 38,213 inhabitants.

Winschoten received itscity rightsin 1825. It was a separatemunicipalityuntil it was merged into Oldambt in 2010. The seat of government of Oldambt is in Winschoten.

There are three windmills and several churches in Winschoten. There is arailway stationwith direct connections toGroningenandLeer(Germany), although due to the reconstruction of theFriesenbrücketrains to Germany will stop atWeeneruntil 2024. Winschoten has an important role as a shopping centre for the region of Oldambt. In the province of Groningen, it is the second-largest shopping destination and it attracts many consumers from nearby Germany.

Etymology

Church and tower Winschoten

City hall Winschoten

Windmill 'Edens' in Winschoten

Pedestrian shopping street: Langestraat

Posttil retailcentre in Winschoten

The origin of the name of Winschoten is not known but it has received nicknames. One of these isMolenstad(orMilltown). It has also been known, in living memory, asSodom.This name arose out of the Jewish community who were scandalised by the immoral behaviour of their Gentile neighbours. The inhabitants are also calledTellerlikkers(plate lickers).

Geography

Winschoten was the capital of theOldambtdistrict, in a fertile agricultural region. Winschoten receivedcity rightsin 1825. It was the last town in the Netherlands to be granted such rights and it was more of a symbolic gesture. The town flag has three horizontal stripes of blue and white, in ratio 1:3:1, on the white stripe is a red outline plan of a fortress with nine embattlements. It was adopted 23 May 1973 by municipal resolution. The coat of arms is an image ofSaint Vitus,whose name can also be recognized in many streetnames, schoolnames names of clubs, etc.

Winschoten is located at53°9′N7°2′E(53.15, 7.03) in the municipality ofOldambt,in the east of the province ofGroningen,and in the northeast of the Netherlands. It is situated east ofGroningen,Hoogezand,andVeendam,north ofStadskanaal,south ofDelfzijl,and west ofLeerandPapenburg(both in Germany). It is also south of theDollartand theOldambtmeer.

• 
  The municipality around 1870
• 
  Topographic map of Winschoten, June 2014

Windmills

There used to be 13 mills in Winschoten, today only three large, monumental windmills remain in the town. These mills are now owned by the local council and are run by volunteer millers. They form an important feature of the townscape and are well cared for by the local authorities for the benefit of the community and visitors.

Molen Berg, built in 1854 at the Grintweg, was designed to grind corn. Its first owner was J.D. Buurma. The unusual design of the sails with movable blades, akin to venetian blinds was in advance for its time. Traditionally Dutch windmills have tarpaulin covering the sails to control or catch the wind's power.

The Dijkstra Molen in the Nassaustraat was built in 1862 by D.E. Dijkstra. In 1953 the original owner's grandson sold it to the local government. It was restored 1982/1983 and further restoration work took place in 1995/-6 restoration.

Molen Edens, at Nassaustraat 14, was built in 1763 on the instructions of Jurrien Balles and Antje Gerbrands. Later owners were Jan Joesten and G. Eikema. Then from 1855 till 1960 various generations of the Edens family owned it. The local municipality bought it in 1960. It is the oldest mill in the entire province of Groningen.

Churches

There are numerous Protestant churches in Winschoten including an assembly ofPlymouth Brethren.The oldest church dates back to the 13th century in style mingling Roman and Gothic features. There is a Dutch Reformed church on Marktplein. A free-standing 16th-century bell tower is one of the features of the Winschoten skyline.

There is a Roman Catholic church dedicated toSaint Vitus,built byAlfred Tepein 1880. It is a neo-gothic church with stained glass windows by Kocken and a sandstone high altar from Freitag in Münster. This altar was formerly placed in the Saint Boniface church inNieuwe Pekela.When this church was demolished it was brought to Winschoten to replace an old altar.

There used to be a thriving Jewish community. During the Second World War, Winschoten was a transit port to Germany for the Jew-transports. Of the 493 Jews that lived in Winschoten at the beginning of the war, only 20 survived.

Monuments

The nametellerlikker(mentioned above) was given on account of the local custom to voraciously devour their meals and conclude with licking the plate (teller- in the local dialect) clean. A monument to one of these plate lickers stands on the Oldambt Square, in front of an area where the theatre 'De Klinker', built on the site of a former brick factory, used to be. A dog in turn licks the feet of his greedy owner.

Language

The official language is Dutch, but many Winschoters especially of older generations speak the local dialect called Gronings. In addition, many inhabitants are able to speak German or English. The Winschoter version of the dialect Gronings has influences of Hebrew and Yiddish as a consequence of the once prominent Jewish community that had lived there since the 18th century.

Sports

Winschoten is host to the oldestUltramarathonof the Netherlands since 1976 calledDe RUN.It is a race of 100 km (62 mi) run individually over a 10 km (6 mi) paved lap through the town. The current record of 06:16:41 is held byJean-Paul Praetsince 1992. During the event, that is usually held on the second Saturday of September, there is also the possibility to run a 50 km (31 mi) race or to compete with a group in a 10x10 km relay race.

Winschoten also hosted the start and finish of the first stage at the2013 Energiewacht Tour.

Transportation

Winschoten railway stationin 2006

Winschoten has arailway stationwith train services towardsGroningenandLeer(inGermany). The railway station was inaugurated 1 May 1868 to service the Groningen–Winschoten–Nieuweschans line. This was the secondbrought into use by the Company for the Exploitation of State Railways (Maatschappij tot Exploitatie van Staatsspoorwegen) and part of theHarlingen–Nieuweschans railway(built 1863–1868). Today this route is operated byArriva.

Winschoten also has a road connection to the rest of the Netherlands and Germany via theA7 motorway(E22).

Notable people

• Wiebbe Hayes(c. 1608), a Dutch soldier and national hero in the 17th century
• Arnold Hendrik Koning(1860-1945), Dutch painter
• Dirk Stikker(1897–1979), Dutch minister of Foreign Affairs (1948–1952) and NATO Secretary-General (1961–1964)
• Bernard D. H. Tellegen(1900–1990), Dutch engineer and inventor
• Jaap Meijer(1912–1993), Dutch historian and poet
• Herman Makkink,(1937–2013), Dutch sculptor, graphic artist, and illustrator
• Klaas Nuninga(1940) Dutch footballer and official
• Bas Jan Ader(1942–lost at sea 1975), Dutch artist
• Piet Hamberg(1954), Dutch footballer and football manager
• Henriëtte Weersing(1965), Dutch volleyball player
• Marcel Hensema(1970), Actor
• Bert Zuurman(1973), Dutch footballer
• Marnix Kolder(1981), Dutch footballer
• Marcel Seip(1982), Dutch footballer

External links

• Media related toWinschotenat Wikimedia Commons