Barger-Compascuum is a village in the Dutch municipality of Emmen. It is in a

peat Peat is an accumulation of partially Decomposition, decayed vegetation or organic matter. It is unique to natural areas called peatlands, bogs, mires, Moorland, moors, or muskegs. ''Sphagnum'' moss, also called peat moss, is one of the most ...

-producing region of Drenthe. , an open-air museum, is dedicated to the peat history of the region. Borger-Compascuum is located in the

Bourtange moor The Bourtanger Moor ( Dutch: ''Bourtangerveen/Bourtangermoeras'', German: ''Bourtanger Moor'', Low Saxon: ''Boertanger Moor'') was a bog in eastern parts in the Dutch provinces of Drenthe and Groningen and the bordering German districts of Ben ...

between Germany and the Netherlands. It was originally a '' compascuum'' (common pasture). In 1866, Barger-Compascuum was established, and the area was permanently inhabited.

Background

The

, a large

raised bog Raised bogs, also called ombrotrophic bogs, are acidic, wet habitats that are poor in mineral salts and are home to flora and fauna that can cope with such extreme conditions. Raised bogs, unlike fens, are exclusively fed by precipitation (ombro ...

, formed the border between the Netherlands and Germany. It was an inhospitable uninhabited area which was dissected by the . The shepherds from both

Ober Ober may refer to: * Ober (playing card), court card in the German and Swiss styles of playing cards * Ober, Indiana, an unincorporated community in Washington Township, Starke County * Oberek (also ''ober''), a lively Polish dance in triple metre ...

- and Niederlangen in Germany and

Noord Noord () is a town and region in Aruba (part of the Kingdom of the Netherlands). This town is known for its low rise and high rise hotels, restaurants, beaches, malls, the California Lighthouse, and other places of attraction. Places of interes ...

- and Zuidbarge in the Netherlands used the

heath A heath () is a shrubland habitat found mainly on free-draining infertile, acidic soils and is characterised by open, low-growing woody vegetation. Moorland is generally related to high-ground heaths with—especially in Great Britain—a coole ...

for their sheep. There was disagreement about the ownership, and a '' compascuum'' (common pasture) was agreed. The shepherds from both sides could use the land, but no permanent settlement was allowed. The ''compascuum'' did not solve the problem, and there were several large-scale fights between the Dutch and German farmers. In the 1824 Treaty of Meppen, the border was set, however the ''compascuum'' remained in effect until 1866 when permanent settlement was allowed in the moorland.

History

On 23 July 1866, the village of Barger-Compascuum was founded. The first settlers were mainly farmers from

Hannover Hanover ( ; ; ) is the capital and largest city of the States of Germany, German state of Lower Saxony. Its population of 535,932 (2021) makes it the List of cities in Germany by population, 13th-largest city in Germany as well as the fourth-l ...

who started to dig the canals, excavate the

, and plant

buckwheat Buckwheat (''Fagopyrum esculentum'') or common buckwheat is a flowering plant in the knotweed family Polygonaceae cultivated for its grain-like seeds and as a cover crop. Buckwheat originated around the 6th millennium BCE in the region of what ...

. A

linear settlement A linear settlement is a (normally small to medium-sized) settlement or group of buildings that is formed in a long line. Many of these settlements are formed along a transport route, such as a road, river, or canal. Others form due to physical r ...

was built along the canals, and many people lived in

sod house The sod house or soddy was a common alternative to the log cabin during frontier settlement of the Great Plains of North America in the 1800s and early 1900s. Primarily used at first for animal shelters, corrals, and fences, they came into use ...

s. In 1872, a Catholic church was built, and a parish was established. Between 1923 and 1925, it was replaced with the current church. The systematic cultivation of the area started in the 1910s.

Sights

In 1966, , an open-air museum dedicated to the peat history of the region, was opened. It contains a

village, a windmill and a

clog Clogs are a type of footwear that has a thick, rigid sole typically made of wood, although in American English, shoes with rigid soles made of other materials are also called clogs. Traditional clogs remain in use as protective footwear in a ...

factory. In 1983, the

smock mill The smock mill is a type of windmill that consists of a sloping, horizontally weatherboarded, thatched, or shingled tower, usually with six or eight sides. It is topped with a roof or cap that rotates to bring the sails into the wind. This t ...

'' De Berk'' was moved to Barger-Compascuum. The mill was originally located in . In 2001, a

pump organ The pump organ or reed organ is a type of organ that uses free reed aerophone, free reeds to generate sound, with air passing over vibrating thin metal strips mounted in a frame. Types include the pressure-based harmonium, the suction reed organ ...

museum opened in the Veenpark, and contains a collection of 250 pump organs.

Notable people

Ben Feringa Bernard Lucas "Ben" Feringa (; born 18 May 1951) is a Dutch synthetic organic chemist, specializing in molecular nanotechnology and homogeneous catalysis. He is the Jacobus van 't Hoff Distinguished Professor of Molecular Sciences, at the ...

(born 1951), synthetic organic chemist, 2016 Nobel Prize in Chemistry * Albert Hermelink Gentiaras (1898–1983), clergyman and bishop of Tanjungkarang

Gallery

File:Aardappelmeelfabriek, Veenmuseum Barger-compascuum (11607250905).jpg, Potato starch factory File:De Klompwoning van Alfred J Kwak in het Veenpark.JPG, The clog house in Veenpark File:Harmonium Museum Barger Compascuum - ingang 1 (cropped).JPG, Pump organ museum File:Schapenhutten in de Maatschappij - Barger Compascuum - 20514062 - RCE.jpg, Children in the heath with sod houses

References

External links

*
Official website
(in Dutch) {{Authority control Populated places in Drenthe Emmen, Netherlands 1866 establishments in the Netherlands