Borger () is a village in the

Dutch Dutch or Nederlands commonly refers to: * Something of, from, or related to the Netherlands ** Dutch people as an ethnic group () ** Dutch nationality law, history and regulations of Dutch citizenship () ** Dutch language () * In specific terms, i ...

province of

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 ...

. It is a part of the municipality of

Borger-Odoorn Borger-Odoorn () is a Municipalities of the Netherlands, municipality in the northeastern Netherlands in the province of Drenthe. The local Hunebedcentrum Borger features several megaliths (or 'hunebeds') associated with the Neolithic and mesolit ...

, and lies about 18 km east of

Assen Assen () is a List of cities in the Netherlands by province, city and Municipalities of the Netherlands, municipality in the Northeastern Netherlands, and is the capital (politics), capital of the province of Drenthe. It received City rights in ...

. The ''hunebed''

dolmen A dolmen, () or portal tomb, is a type of single-chamber Megalith#Tombs, megalithic tomb, usually consisting of two or more upright megaliths supporting a large flat horizontal capstone or "table". Most date from the Late Neolithic period (4000 ...

is the biggest ''hunebed'' of the Netherlands and has its own museum.

History

The village was first mentioned in 1327 as "Johannes in Borghere". The etymology is unclear. Borger is an ''

esdorp __NOTOC__ An ''Angerdorf'' (plural: ''Angerdörfer'') is a type of village that is characterised by the houses and farmsteads being laid out around a central grassed area, the ''Anger (meadow), anger'' (from the Old High German ''angar'' =pasture ...

'' which developed in the Early Middle Ages on the

Hondsrug image:Hoogstraatje RA.JPG, 300px, The Hoogstraatje in Groningen (province), Groningen, the northernmost hill of the Hondsrug The Hondsrug () is a Dutch ridge of sand that is mainly located in the province Drenthe and partly in the province Gronin ...

along the road from

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 ...

Coevorden Coevorden (; ; ) is a List of cities in the Netherlands by province, city and List of municipalities of the Netherlands, municipality in the Provinces of the Netherlands, province of Drenthe, in the east of Netherlands, the Netherlands. During the ...

. In the early 13th century a daughter church was established from

Anloo Anloo is a village in the Netherlands, Dutch province of Drenthe. It is a part of the municipality of Aa en Hunze, and lies about 10 km east of Assen. History The village was first mentioned in 1139 as Anloe. The etymology in unclear. Anloo ...

. Borger became the main settlement, and three satellites were established around the village:

Buinen Buinen is a village in the Dutch province of Drenthe. It is a part of the municipality of Borger-Odoorn, and lies about 18 km north of Emmen. History The village was first mentioned in 1549 as Bunne. The etymology is unclear. Buinen is a ...

, Drouwen and Westdorp. The tower of the Dutch Reformed church dates from the 14th century and has been restored in 1840. The medieval church was replaced in 1826. There is an original

sheep pen A pen is a fenced/walled open-air enclosure for holding land animals in captivity, typically for livestock but may also be used for holding other domesticated animals such as pets that are unwanted inside buildings. The term describes types o ...

from the 18th century in Borger. Borger was home to 519 people in 1840. In 1958, the open air theatre opened in Borger and can seat 600 people. Borger used to be an independent municipality. In 1998, it was merged into

Dolmen

The ''hunebed''

is the biggest ''hunebed'' of the Netherlands. It measures and has 9 capstones, 26 side stones and 2 keystones. The ''hunebed'' contains a complete gate. In 1865, amateur excavation was performed by Titia Brongersma who discovered pottery and many bones, however none of the artefacts remain. In 1984, a local youth found some pottery and bones. The artefacts were analysed and surprisingly dated from the

Bronze Age The Bronze Age () was a historical period characterised principally by the use of bronze tools and the development of complex urban societies, as well as the adoption of writing in some areas. The Bronze Age is the middle principal period of ...

which was much later than expected. There were calls for a scientific investigation of the site, however the archaeologists in charge of the area have blocked an investigation. In 2005, a museum opened near the site. There are two more smaller dolmen (D28 and D29) around Borger. Copper objects have been discovered near D28 which are the oldest discoveries of copper in the Netherlands and must have been made in

Romania Romania is a country located at the crossroads of Central Europe, Central, Eastern Europe, Eastern and Southeast Europe. It borders Ukraine to the north and east, Hungary to the west, Serbia to the southwest, Bulgaria to the south, Moldova to ...

Notable people

* Egbert Schuurman, philosopher and politician * Henk G. Sol, business theorist

Gallery

File:20190408 Zomerhuisje architect Duintjer Meindersveen.jpg, Summer house File:Hof van Saksen (2859640966).jpg, Hof van Saksen File:20192206 Grafheuvel tussen Borger en Drouwen.jpg, Tumulus in Borger File:Het grootste Hunebed.jpg, ''Hunebed'' (dolmen) D27

References

External links

* {{Authority control Municipalities of the Netherlands disestablished in 1998 Former municipalities of Drenthe Populated places in Drenthe Borger-Odoorn