Lutjegast () is a

village A village is a human settlement or community, larger than a hamlet but smaller than a town with a population typically ranging from a few hundred to a few thousand. Although villages are often located in rural areas, the term urban v ...

in the municipality of Westerkwartier 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 , 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 ...

. It had a population of around 1,125 in January 2017.

History

The name ''Lutjegast'' originates from

Gronings Gronings (; or Grönnegs), is a collective name for some Low Saxon dialects spoken in the province of Groningen and around the Groningen border in Drenthe and Friesland. Gronings and the strongly related varieties in East Frisia have a stro ...

in which ''lutje'' means small or little and a ''ga(a)st'' is a higher, sandy ridge in an otherwise swampy area. The village was first mentioned in 1459 as "op de Lutkegast". Lutjegast is a road village which developed on a sandy ridge. The Dutch Reformed church was built in 1877 and was restored in 1922. The

Reformed Church Reformed Christianity, also called Calvinism, is a major branch of Protestantism that began during the 16th-century Protestant Reformation. In the modern day, it is largely represented by the Continental Reformed Christian, Presbyterian, ...

is a cruciform church built in 1922 without a tower in

expressionist Expressionism is a modernist movement, initially in poetry and painting, originating in Northern Europe around the beginning of the 20th century. Its typical trait is to present the world solely from a subjective perspective, distorting it rad ...

style. Lutjegast was the birthplace of the explorer

Abel Tasman Abel Janszoon Tasman (; 160310 October 1659) was a Dutch sea explorer, seafarer and exploration, explorer, best known for his voyages of 1642 and 1644 in the service of the Dutch East India Company (VOC). He was the first European to reach New ...

. He is memorialised in town by a monument, plaque and street name. In 2014, a museum dedicated to Abel Tasman opened in the village house. Until 1828, a manor house named "Rikkerdaborg" stood in Lutjegast. Its most famous occupant was Bernard Johan Prott who was the commander of

Bourtange Bourtange (; Gronings: ''Boertang'') is a village with a population of 430 in the municipality of Westerwolde in the Netherlands. It is situated in the region Westerwolde in the east of the province of Groningen near the German border. Fort Bou ...

in 1672.

Christoph Bernhard von Galen Christoph Bernhard Freiherr von Galen (12 October 1606, in Drensteinfurt – 19 September 1678) was Prince-bishop of Münster. He was born into a noble Westphalian family. Background, education and conversion to Roman Catholicism Christoph Be ...

, the

Prince-bishop of Münster A prince-bishop is a bishop who is also the civil ruler of some Secularity, secular principality and sovereignty, as opposed to ''Prince of the Church'' itself, a title associated with cardinal (Catholic Church), cardinals. Since 1951, the sol ...

had allegedly offered Prott ƒ200,000.- to take Bourtange, however Prott refused the offer and von Galen was unable to take the fortress by force. Lutjegast was home to 294 people in 1840. The village used to be part of the municipality of

Grootegast Grootegast (; ; ) is a village and former municipality in the northeastern Netherlands. It is the sister city of Kingston, Tasmania. The municipality was merged into the municipality of Westerkwartier on 1 January 2019. Geography The former ...

. In 2019, it was merged into Westerkwartier.

Notable people

(ca.1603–1659), explorer, first European to discover

Tasmania Tasmania (; palawa kani: ''Lutruwita'') is an island States and territories of Australia, state of Australia. It is located to the south of the Mainland Australia, Australian mainland, and is separated from it by the Bass Strait. The sta ...

. * Arjen Lubach (born 1979), comedian, author, music producer and TV presenter. * Klaasje Meijer (born 1995), singer, actress and flautist

Gallery

File:Beckeringh - Huis Rikkerda, Lutjegast.jpg, Rikkerdaborg File:Lutjegast - hervormde pastorie.jpg, Former clergy house File:Lutjegast 15 50 21 609000.jpeg, View on Lutjegast File:Lytsegast (Grinslân), kristlik grifformearde tsjerke.jpg, Reformed church in Lutjegast

References

External links

* *
Lutjegast Online
{{Authority control Westerkwartier Westerkwartier (municipality) Populated places in Groningen (province)