De Marne () is a former

municipality A municipality is usually a single administrative division having corporate status and powers of self-government or jurisdiction as granted by national and regional laws to which it is subordinate. The term ''municipality'' may also mean the go ...

in the northeast of the

Netherlands ) , anthem = ( en, "William of Nassau") , image_map = , map_caption = , subdivision_type = Sovereign state , subdivision_name = Kingdom of the Netherlands , established_title = Before independence , established_date = Spanish Netherl ...

. On 1 January 2019 it merged with the municipalities of Bedum,

Eemsmond Eemsmond (; en, Ems Mouth) is a former municipality with a population of 15,864 in the north of the province of Groningen in the northeast of the Netherlands. On 1 January 2019 it merged with the municipalities of Bedum, De Marne and Winsum to ...

and

Winsum Winsum () is a town and a former municipality in the northeastern Netherlands. On 1 January 2019 the municipality merged with the municipalities of Bedum, De Marne and Eemsmond to form the new municipality Het Hogeland. The town of Winsum was ...

to form the new municipality

Het Hogeland Het Hogeland is a municipality in the north of the province of Groningen (province), Groningen in the northeast of the Netherlands. History The municipality of Het Hogeland was established on 1 January 2019 by merging the municipalities of Bedu ...

Population centres

Broek,

Eenrum Eenrum is a village in the Dutch province of Groningen. It is located in the municipality of Het Hogeland, 17 km northwest of the city of Groningen. Eenrum was a separate municipality until 1990, then it was merged with Ulrum, Kloosterbur ...

, Hornhuizen, Houwerzijl,

Kleine Huisjes Kleine Huisjes (also: ''Lutjeboeren''; Gronings: ''Lutje Hoeskes''; translation: ''Little Houses'') is a village in the Dutch province of Groningen. It is a part of the municipality of Het Hogeland. It is located north-east of Kloosterburen. Ety ...

Kloosterburen Kloosterburen is a village in the Dutch province of Groningen. It is located in the municipality of Het Hogeland. The village developed around a monastery. Kloosterburen was a separate municipality until 1990, when it was merged with Leens, Ulrum ...

, Kruisweg,

Lauwersoog Lauwersoog is a seaside village and harbour in the province of Groningen, located in the northern part of the Netherlands. It is part of the municipality of Het Hogeland. It was established on 23 May 1969. The ferry to Schiermonnikoog departs from ...

Leens Leens is a village in the Dutch province of Groningen. It is located in the municipality of Het Hogeland. Leens was a separate municipality until 1990, when it was merged with Ulrum, Eenrum and Kloosterburen. Brief history Leens is located on ol ...

Mensingeweer Mensingeweer is a small village in the Netherlands; it is located in the municipality of Het Hogeland, Groningen. It lies on the provincial road from Winsum to Leens at the crossroads to Eenrum. The long-distance footpath called ''Pieterpad'' run ...

, Molenrij, Niekerk,

Pieterburen Pieterburen is a village in the northeastern Netherlands, located in the municipality of Het Hogeland, Groningen. History Around 1300, a dike was built north of the present village. During the 14th century, a settlement appeared on a mudflat ...

, Schouwerzijl,

Ulrum Ulrum () is a village in the Dutch province of Groningen. It is located in the municipality of Het Hogeland. History The first time the town was named was as ''Uluringhem'' in the 11th century. Ulrum is sited on two mounds. On the western one st ...

, Vierhuizen,

Warfhuizen Warfhuizen (Gronings: ''Waarfhoezen'') is a village in province of Groningen, located in the northern part of the Netherlands. It is part of the municipality of Het Hogeland. Warfhuizen consists of two man-made mounds, called ''wierden'', desi ...

Wehe-den Hoorn Wehe-Den Hoorn (Gronings: ''t Hörn-Wij'') is a village in the Dutch province of Groningen. It is part of the municipality of Het Hogeland. It is a 1966 merger of the villages of Wehe and Den Hoorn. History Wehe was a ''terp'' (artificial moun ...

Westernieland Westernieland (Gronings: ''Westernijland'') is a village in the Netherlands, Dutch province of Groningen (province), Groningen. It is part of the municipality of Het Hogeland. The village is located near the Wadden Sea. History Around 1000, the ...

Zoutkamp Zoutkamp is a village in the municipality Het Hogeland which is part of the province Groningen in the Netherlands. The village started as a sconce. During the Dutch Revolt, it was the site of the Battle of Zoutkamp. Later it became a fishing vi ...

, Zuurdijk.

Topography

''Dutch Topographic map of De Marne, June 2015''

A brief description

The municipality of De Marne lies in the north-western part of the province of

Groningen Groningen (; gos, Grunn or ) is the capital city and main municipality of Groningen province in the Netherlands. The ''capital of the north'', Groningen is the largest place as well as the economic and cultural centre of the northern part of t ...

, adjoining the

Wadden Sea The Wadden Sea ( nl, Waddenzee ; german: Wattenmeer; nds, Wattensee or ; da, Vadehavet; fy, Waadsee, longname=yes; frr, di Heef) is an intertidal zone in the southeastern part of the North Sea. It lies between the coast of northwestern conti ...

. It has about 10,000 inhabitants, covers an area of 240 square kilometres and encompasses 21 villages. De Marne is mainly an

agricultural Agriculture or farming is the practice of cultivating Plant, plants and livestock. Agriculture was the key development in the rise of Sedentism, sedentary human civilization, whereby farming of Domestication, domesticated species created food ...

area, focussing on

crop A crop is a plant that can be grown and harvested extensively for profit or subsistence. When the plants of the same kind are cultivated at one place on a large scale, it is called a crop. Most crops are cultivated in agriculture or hydroponic ...

growing and

cattle Cattle (''Bos taurus'') are large, domesticated, cloven-hooved, herbivores. They are a prominent modern member of the subfamily Bovinae and the most widespread species of the genus ''Bos''. Adult females are referred to as cows and adult mal ...

farming. The

fishing Fishing is the activity of trying to catch fish. Fish are often caught as wildlife from the natural environment, but may also be caught from stocked bodies of water such as ponds, canals, park wetlands and reservoirs. Fishing techniques inclu ...

industry also plays an important role.

Bulb In botany, a bulb is structurally a short stem with fleshy leaves or leaf basesBell, A.D. 1997. ''Plant form: an illustrated guide to flowering plant morphology''. Oxford University Press, Oxford, U.K. that function as food storage organs duri ...

cultivation is also an up-and-coming commercial endeavour.

Maren

De Marne has a large network of

footpath A footpath (also pedestrian way, walking trail, nature trail) is a type of thoroughfare that is intended for use only by pedestrians and not other forms of traffic such as motorized vehicles, bicycles and horses. They can be found in a wide ...

cyclepath Cycling infrastructure is all infrastructure cyclists are allowed to use. Bikeways include bike paths, bike lanes, cycle tracks, rail trails and, where permitted, sidewalks. Roads used by Motor vehicle, motorists are also cycling infrastructu ...

s, and

sailing Sailing employs the wind—acting on sails, wingsails or kites—to propel a craft on the surface of the ''water'' (sailing ship, sailboat, raft, windsurfer, or kitesurfer), on ''ice'' (iceboat) or on ''land'' (land yacht) over a chosen cour ...

canoe A canoe is a lightweight narrow water vessel, typically pointed at both ends and open on top, propelled by one or more seated or kneeling paddlers facing the direction of travel and using a single-bladed paddle. In British English, the term ...

ing routes. Of particular interest are the so-called 'maren': narrow waterways twisting and turning their way throughout the countryside. They are particularly suitable for recreational sailing and canoeing. The many marked walks, cycle routes and sail and drive routes connect all of the various villages.

Special attractions

Besides the well-known attractions such as the

seal Seal may refer to any of the following: Common uses * Pinniped, a diverse group of semi-aquatic marine mammals, many of which are commonly called seals, particularly: ** Earless seal, or "true seal" ** Fur seal * Seal (emblem), a device to impr ...

crèche in

, the centre for mud flat walking and the

Lauwersmeer Lauwersmeer () is a man-made lake in the north of the Netherlands, on the border of the provinces of Groningen and Friesland. The lake was formed on 23 May 1969, when the dike between the bay called Lauwers Sea and the Wadden Sea was closed. It is ...

area, there are also some other attractions. For instance, there is the Borg Verhildersum in Leens, Abraham's

Mustard Mustard may refer to: Food and plants * Mustard (condiment), a paste or sauce made from mustard seeds used as a condiment * Mustard plant, one of several plants, having seeds that are used for the condiment ** Mustard seed, seeds of the mustard p ...

Museum in Eenrum and many

church Church may refer to: Religion * Church (building), a building for Christian religious activities * Church (congregation), a local congregation of a Christian denomination * Church service, a formalized period of Christian communal worship * Chris ...

es,

tower A tower is a tall Nonbuilding structure, structure, taller than it is wide, often by a significant factor. Towers are distinguished from guyed mast, masts by their lack of guy-wires and are therefore, along with tall buildings, self-supporting ...

s, listed heritage farms, terps and protected village settings. There are also famous

church organ Carol Williams performing at the United States Military Academy West Point Cadet Chapel.">West_Point_Cadet_Chapel.html" ;"title="United States Military Academy West Point Cadet Chapel">United States Military Academy West Point Cadet Chapel. ...

s built by

Arp Schnitger Arp Schnitger (2 July 164828 July 1719 (buried)) was an influential Northern German organ builder. Considered the most paramount manufacturer of his time, Schnitger built or rebuilt over 150 organs. He was primarily active in Northern Europe, es ...

, Lohman (family) and Hinsz.

Pilgrimage

The hermitage of

Our Lady of the Enclosed Garden The Roman Catholic hermitage of Our Lady of the Enclosed Garden is situated in the former Reformed church of Warfhuizen, a village in the extreme north of the Netherlands. It is the only Dutch hermitage currently inhabited by a hermit. The nam ...

is a popular Marian shrine. Processions go from

to Warfhuizen four or five times a year. A unique devotional practice is the ' swapping of the handkerchief'. According to Spanish tradition the statue of the crying

Virgin Virginity is the state of a person who has never engaged in sexual intercourse. The term ''virgin'' originally only referred to sexually inexperienced women, but has evolved to encompass a range of definitions, as found in traditional, modern ...

usually holds a white handkerchief. The faithful bring a new white handkerchief and give it to the hermit to swap it with the one the Virgin has been holding which, in turn, is then given to someone sick or lonely. Students take it to their exams to calm their nerves.

The Lauwersmeer area

The Lauwersmeer area is a nature area suitable for fishing, bird watching, walking, and cycling. It features a few waters ports. The area covers about 90 square kilometres. The Lauwersmeer area came into existence when the Lauwerszee was closed off in 1969. Over the years the salt has slowly retreated from the water and new countryside has emerged.

Local products

There are a number of typical products of the area. An example of this is the 'Spelt Project'. This project ensures the production of pure local products. Farmers,

miller A miller is a person who operates a Gristmill, mill, a machine to grind a grain (for example corn or wheat) to make flour. Mill (grinding), Milling is among the oldest of human occupations. "Miller", "Milne" and other variants are common surname ...

bakers A baker is a tradesperson who bakes and sometimes sells breads and other products made of flour by using an oven or other concentrated heat source. The place where a baker works is called a bakery. History Ancient history Since grains ha ...

upholsterer Upholstery is the work of providing furniture, especially seats, with padding, springs, webbing, and fabric or leather covers. The word also refers to the materials used to upholster something. ''Upholstery'' comes from the Middle English word ...

s and

distiller Distillation, or classical distillation, is the process of separating the components or substances from a liquid mixture by using selective boiling and condensation, usually inside an apparatus known as a still. Dry distillation is the heating ...

s work together to produce old-fashioned spelt grain, flour, bread, gin and cushions filled with spelt husks.

Municipal reorganisation

The municipality came into being in 1990 when the smaller municipalities of

and

were joined together. The local government employs about 115 people.

Notable people

* Hendrik Nicolaas Werkman (1882 in Leens – 1945) an experimental Dutch artist, typographer and printer *

Cornelis Simon Meijer Cornelis Simon Meijer (17 August 1904, Pieterburen – 12 April 1974) was a Dutch mathematician at the University of Groningen who introduced the Meijer G-function, a very general function that includes most of the elementary and higher mathema ...

(1904 in Pieterburen – 1974) a Dutch mathematician and academic *

Sicco Mansholt Sicco Leendert Mansholt (; 13 September 1908 – 29 June 1995) was a Dutch farmer, politician and diplomat of the Social Democratic Workers' Party (Netherlands), Social Democratic Workers' Party (SDAP) and later the Labour Party (Netherlands), L ...

(1908 in Ulrum – 1995) a Dutch politician and diplomat *

Martin Zijlstra Marten "Martin" Zijlstra (22 July 1944 – 10 December 2014) was a Dutch politician. He started his political career as member of the States of Groningen, serving between 1974 and 1978. Starting in 1977 he served as Mayor of Termunten for thirt ...

(1944 in Eenrum – 2014) a Dutch politician *

Freek de Jonge Frederik "Freek" Jan Georg de Jonge (born 30 August 1944) is a Dutch cabaret performer and writer. Biography Early life and career De Jonge was born in Westernieland as son of a pastor. His family moved to Workum, and later to Zaandam and G ...

(born 1944 in Westernieland) a Dutch cabaret performer and writer IMDb Database
retrieved 10 August 2019

References

External links

Official website
{{Authority control Het Hogeland Former municipalities of Groningen (province) Municipalities of the Netherlands disestablished in 2019