Bad Nieuweschans (; ; ; also Lange Akkeren) is a village in the north-eastern

Netherlands , Terminology of the Low Countries, informally Holland, is a country in Northwestern Europe, with Caribbean Netherlands, overseas territories in the Caribbean. It is the largest of the four constituent countries of the Kingdom of the Nether ...

on the border with

Germany Germany, officially the Federal Republic of Germany, is a country in Central Europe. It lies between the Baltic Sea and the North Sea to the north and the Alps to the south. Its sixteen States of Germany, constituent states have a total popu ...

. It forms part of the municipality of Oldambt. Nieuweschans means "new fortification ( sconce)". In 2009, the word Bad ("

spa A spa is a location where mineral-rich spring water (sometimes seawater) is used to give medicinal baths. Spa health treatments are known as balneotherapy. The belief in the curative powers of mineral waters and hot springs goes back to pre ...

") was prefixed to the name of the village to promote it as a tourist destination.

History

Bad Nieuweschans is located in a part of the

Dollart The Dollart (German name, ) or Dollard (Dutch name, ) is a bay in the Wadden Sea between the northern Netherlands and Germany, on the west side of the estuary of the Ems river. Most of it dries at low tide. Many water birds feed there. Gain ...

which was flooded during the 13th century. In the 1550s, the Dollart was reclaimed by large-scale

polder A polder () is a low-lying tract of land that forms an artificial hydrology, hydrological entity, enclosed by embankments known as levee, dikes. The three types of polder are: # Land reclamation, Land reclaimed from a body of water, such as a ...

ing. In 1626, the area around

Oudeschans Oudeschans () is a small village with a population of around 100 in the municipality of Westerwolde (municipality), Westerwolde in the province of Groningen (province), Groningen in the Netherlands. The 16th-century fortification is now a state p ...

was poldered, and a settlement appeared in the Nieuwenschans area which was originally called ''Lange Akkeren''. The

fortification A fortification (also called a fort, fortress, fastness, or stronghold) is a military construction designed for the defense of territories in warfare, and is used to establish rule in a region during peacetime. The term is derived from Lati ...

of Nieuweschans was built in 1628, during the

Eighty Years' War The Eighty Years' War or Dutch Revolt (; 1566/1568–1648) was an armed conflict in the Habsburg Netherlands between disparate groups of rebels and the Spanish Empire, Spanish government. The Origins of the Eighty Years' War, causes of the w ...

. The sconce was a

pentagon In geometry, a pentagon () is any five-sided polygon or 5-gon. The sum of the internal angles in a simple polygon, simple pentagon is 540°. A pentagon may be simple or list of self-intersecting polygons, self-intersecting. A self-intersecting ...

surrounded by earthen walls and canals. The fortification was still in use during the French occupation. In 1815, the

garrison A garrison is any body of troops stationed in a particular location, originally to guard it. The term now often applies to certain facilities that constitute a military base or fortified military headquarters. A garrison is usually in a city ...

was disbanded, and between 1870 and 1907, the fortifications were dismantled. In 1974, Bad Nieuweschans was declared a protected site, and large scale restoration of the village started. In 1985, , a

, was established after the discovery of mineral water at a depth of . Nieuweschans was a separate municipality until 1990, when it became a part of the municipality of

Reiderland Reiderland () is a former municipality in the province Groningen in the northeastern Netherlands, which was founded in 1990 during a large municipal reorganisation. The former municipalities Finsterwolde and Bad Nieuweschans were abolished and a ...

. In April 2009, the municipality of Reiderland changed the name from ''Nieuweschans'' to ''Bad Nieuweschans'', to promote the town as a spa. On 1 January 2010, Reiderland in turn became a part of the municipality of Oldambt.

Geography

Bad Nieuweschans is located in the municipality of Oldambt in the east of the province of

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 ...

in the northeast of the

. Close to the village is the easternmost point of the Netherlands on the border with Germany. It is located about 10 km east of

Winschoten Winschoten (; ) is a city with a population of 18,518 in the municipality of Oldambt (municipality), Oldambt in the northeast of the Netherlands. It is the largest city in the region of Oldambt (region), Oldambt in the province of Groningen (prov ...

Transportation

The

Bad Nieuweschans railway station Bad Nieuweschans (; Railway stations in the Netherlands#List of stations, with their official abbreviations, abbreviation: Nsch), previously named Nieuweschans (1868–2013), is an unstaffed railway station in the village of Bad Nieuweschans, Ne ...

is located on the Harlingen–Nieuweschans and Ihrhove–Nieuweschans railways in the north-east of the village. The railway station opened in 1869, however the connection to

Hamburg Hamburg (, ; ), officially the Free and Hanseatic City of Hamburg,. is the List of cities in Germany by population, second-largest city in Germany after Berlin and List of cities in the European Union by population within city limits, 7th-lar ...

took another eight years. Georges Simenon's novel '' Maigret and the Hundred Gibbets'' starts in the railway station. Bad Nieuweschans served as the main border crossing between Groningen and Hamburg. Traffic had to pass through the village which often caused long traffic jams during the holidays. An international motorway was planned which would pass Bad Nieuweschans to the south on German soil. In 1963, the border between the Netherlands and Germany was modified. The new border was established south of the planned road, and the construction could begin. On 30 April 1969, the A7 opened, however it was still a single lane road, and construction in Germany had not started. In April 1993, the A7 was finally upgraded to motorway standards, and in October 1994, the A280 opened in Germany.

Notable people

* Levi Benima (1838–1922), chess master *

Rynie Wolters Reinder Albertus Wolters (March 17, 1844 – January 3, 1917) was a professional baseball player from Nieuweschans, Netherlands. He played five seasons in the amateur National Association of Base Ball Players from 1866 to 1870, and three season ...

(1844–1917), baseball player

Gallery

File:Commemorative cannon in Bad-Nieuweschans 2012.jpg, Cannon in Nieuweschans File:Bad Nieuweschans (The Netherlands) 11.JPG, Village street File:Bad Nieuweschans (The Netherlands) 06.JPG, Industry File:Nsch - 2006.JPG, Old and new train at the station

References

Bibliography

External links

* {{Coord, 53, 11, N, 7, 12, E, region:NL_type:city, display=title Former municipalities of Groningen (province) Forts in the Netherlands Germany–Netherlands border crossings Oldambt (municipality) Populated places in Groningen (province) Spa towns in the Netherlands 1628 establishments in the Dutch Republic