Oldambt (municipality)

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Oldambt
Municipality
Flag of Oldambt
Flag
Coat of arms of Oldambt
Coat of arms
Highlighted position of Oldambt in a municipal map of Groningen
Location of Oldambt in Groningen in the Netherlands
Coordinates: Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
Country Netherlands
Province Groningen
Established 1 January 2010[1]
Government[2]
 • Body Municipal council
 • Mayor Pieter Smit (D66)
Area[3]
 • Total 295.96 km2 (114.27 sq mi)
 • Land 227.80 km2 (87.95 sq mi)
 • Water 68.16 km2 (26.32 sq mi)
Elevation[4] 2 m (7 ft)
Population (May 2014)[5]
 • Total 38,495
 • Density 169/km2 (440/sq mi)
Time zone CET (UTC+1)
 • Summer (DST) CEST (UTC+2)
Postcode Parts of 9600 and 9900 ranges
Area code 0596–0598
Website gemeente-oldambt.nl

Oldambt (Dutch pronunciation: [ˈɔldɑm(b)t]) is a municipality with a population of 38,495 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 the villages Bad Nieuweschans, Beerta, Blauwestad, Drieborg, Finsterwolde, Heiligerlee, Midwolda, Nieuw-Beerta, Nieuwolda, Nieuw-Scheemda, Oostwold, Scheemda, 't Waar, and Westerlee. The mayor is 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 Pieter Smit (D66).

Geography

File:Gem-Oldambt-OpenTopo.jpg
Topography of Oldambt in 2015

Oldambt is located at Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found. 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 2014, Oldambt has a population of 38,495 and a population density of 169/km2 (440/sq mi).[3][5]

Government

The seat of government is in Winschoten. The mayor is Pieter Smit of D66.

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.

References

  1. Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  2. Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  3. 3.0 3.1 Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  4. Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  5. 5.0 5.1 Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  6. (Dutch) "Gemeente Oldambt welluidend van start", Dagblad van het Noorden, 2010. Retrieved on 6 January 2010.[dead link]
  7. (Dutch) Eerste Kamer stemt in met vijf gemeentelijke herindelingen, Nederlands Genootschap van Burgemeesters. Retrieved on 6 January 2010.[dead link]
  8. (Dutch) Jacob Hesseling, "Martin Zijlstra: eerste burgemeester Oldambt", Dagblad van het Noorden, 2009. Retrieved on 6 January 2010.
  9. (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. (Dutch) Blauwestad, Marketing Groningen. Retrieved on 22 December 2014.

External links