Adriaan Geerts Wildervanck (4 September 1605 – 24 November 1661) was a Dutch businessman and coloniser. In 1643, he lost most of his money when ''De Oevelgunne'' stranded on the Boschplaat with expensive

lace Lace is a delicate fabric made of yarn or thread in an open weblike pattern, made by machine or by hand. Generally, lace is split into two main categories, needlelace and bobbin lace, although there are other types of lace, such as knitted o ...

. In 1647, he founded the Muntendammer Company to exploit 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 ...

colony. As part of the colony, the villages of Wildervank (1647) and Veendam (1648) were established.

Biography

Adriaan Geerts was born on 4 September 1605 in

Groningen Groningen ( , ; ; or ) is the capital city and main municipality of Groningen (province), Groningen province in the Netherlands. Dubbed the "capital of the north", Groningen is the largest place as well as the economic and cultural centre of ...

, Netherlands. He had been active in Groningen as an accountant, and tenant of the council and winery of Groningen. In 1643, the ship ''De Oevelgunne'' was on route from England to Hamburg with expensive

, but stranded on the Boschplaat in the

Wadden Sea The Wadden Sea ( ; ; or ; ; ; ) is an intertidal zone in the southeastern part of the North Sea. It lies between the coast of northwestern continental Europe and the range of low-lying Frisian Islands, forming a shallow body of water with tida ...

. The salvagers wanted their customary 1/3 share of the merchandise, however Geerts refused, because the ship had not been abandoned. A lengthy trial followed which attracted the attention of both the British government and the

States General of the Netherlands The States General of the Netherlands ( ) is the Parliamentary sovereignty, supreme Bicameralism, bicameral legislature of the Netherlands consisting of the Senate (Netherlands), Senate () and the House of Representatives (Netherlands), House of R ...

. In 1645, Geerts lost on appeal, and was ordered to pay the salvagers and a large fine. Geerts moved to Oude Pekela to study the exploitation of

by the

city of Groningen Groningen ( , ; ; or ) is the capital city and main municipality of Groningen province in the Netherlands. Dubbed the "capital of the north", Groningen is the largest place as well as the economic and cultural centre of the northern part of ...

. The Wildervankster bog was a raised bog which was still untouched. On 6 June 1647, he established the Muntendammer Company to exploit the bog. The exploration was very costly, and Geerts needed to take out a mortgage of ƒ250,000 from an Amsterdam merchant. In 1647, the village of Wildervank was founded, and Geerts would start to use the surname Wildervanck. In 1648, the village of Veendam was established. The Muntendammer Company was a moderately successful company. About twelve years later, Wildervanck tried to expand his operation into neighbouring

Drenthe Drenthe () is a province of the Netherlands located in the northeastern part of the country. It is bordered by Overijssel to the south, Friesland to the west, Groningen to the north, and the German state of Lower Saxony to the east. As of Jan ...

, but was taken prisoner by angry peasants and briefly imprisoned in the tower of Rolde. The heavy mortgage payments forced Wildervanck to sell large parts of the colony. In 1659, construction started of a church in Wildervank which was named Margaretha Hardenberg Church after his wife. Wildervanck died on 24 November 1661 in Wildervank, at the age of 56, and was buried in the Margaretha Hardenberg Church.

Legacy

In 1897, a monument dedicated to Wildervanck was revealed in Wildervank in front of the town hall as the founder of the village. In 1965, the canal between Wildervank and Zuidbroek was named . In 1997, a bust by Bert Kiewiet was revealed in Wildervank.

Notes

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Wildervanck, Adriaan Geerts 1605 births 1661 deaths People from Groningen (city) Dutch accountants 17th-century Dutch businesspeople