Dwingeloo () is a village halfway between

Meppel Meppel (; Drents: ''Möppelt'') is a city and municipality in the Northeastern Netherlands. It constitutes the southwestern part of the province of Drenthe. Meppel is the smallest municipality in Drenthe, with a total area of about 57 km² (22 sq ...

and Assen in the Dutch province of

Drenthe Drenthe () is a provinces of the Netherlands, 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 (province), Groningen to the north, and the G ...

. It is a part of the municipality of Westerveld. The village is known internationally because of the radio telescope of the Dwingeloo Radio Observatory (which at the time of its completion in 1956 was the largest radio telescope in the world), located on the edge of the Dwingeloo Heath, 3 km south of the village. The telescope discovered

Dwingeloo 1 Dwingeloo 1 is a barred spiral galaxy about 10 million light-years away from the Earth, in the constellation Cassiopeia. It lies in the Zone of Avoidance and is heavily obscured by the Milky Way. The size and mass of Dwingeloo 1 are comparab ...

and Dwingeloo 2, two galaxies about 10 million light-years away from the Earth in the constellation Cassiopeia.

History

The village was first mentioned in 1181 as Twingelo. The etymology is unclear. Dwingeloo is an '' esdorp'' which developed in the Early Middle Ages. The church is located on the north side of a large village square which contained a drinking water pool. The Dutch Reformed was built in the 15th century as a replacement of the medieval church which had a detached tower. The union shaped crown has been placed on top the tower in 1631 after the old spire had collapsed. The church was damaged by a village fire in 1923, and was restored between 1923 and 1925. The ''

havezate A manor house was historically the main residence of the lord of the manor. The house formed the administrative centre of a manor in the European feudal system; within its great hall were held the lord's manorial courts, communal meals with ...

'' (manor house) Westrup is one of the four ''havezates'' of Dwingeloo, and the only one which has remained intact. It was built around 1600, and enlarged in 1740. It received a neoclassic facade and an extra floor in 1870. Between 1984 and 1986, it was restored and is used as an office building. The radio telescope was built in 1956, and was the largest of the world at the time of construction. Dwingeloo was a separate municipality until 1998, when it became a part of Westerveld.

Gallery

File:Dwingelderveld, de radiotelescoop foto5 2016-04-09 11.32.jpg, Dwingelderveld, the radio telescope File:Overzicht van de voorgevel met bordes onder lessenaarsdak - Dwingeloo - 20534067 - RCE.jpg, Former town hall File:28eenvoudigewoning.jpg, Little farm in Dwingeloo File:Aldidwingeloo.jpg, Supermarket

References

{{Authority control Municipalities of the Netherlands disestablished in 1998 Populated places in Drenthe Former municipalities of Drenthe Westerveld