Musselkanaal (also: ''Stads-Musselkanaal'';

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 ...

: ''Muzzelknoal'') is a town 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

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 ...

. It is located in the municipality of

Stadskanaal Stadskanaal () is a town and municipality with a population of 32,715 in the province of Groningen in the northeast of the Netherlands. It was named after the canal Stadskanaal. From 1800 until 1900 this area was ideal for its peat mining, and so ...

. It was established 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 ...

in the 1840s to exploit the

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 ...

. It used to be part of the municipality of

Onstwedde Onstwedde () is a village in the region of Westerwolde and part of Groningen in the Netherlands. It is located in the municipality of Stadskanaal. Onstwedde was also the former name of the municipality of Stadskanaal, until 1969. History Onst ...

, but was merged into Stadskanaal in 1968.

History

The

Bourtange moor The Bourtanger Moor ( Dutch: ''Bourtangerveen/Bourtangermoeras'', German: ''Bourtanger Moor'', Low Saxon: ''Boertanger Moor'') was a bog in eastern parts in the Dutch provinces of Drenthe and Groningen and the bordering German districts of Ben ...

was located in the south-east of Groningen. It was a

raised bog Raised bogs, also called ombrotrophic bogs, are acidic, wet habitats that are poor in mineral salts and are home to flora and fauna that can cope with such extreme conditions. Raised bogs, unlike fens, are exclusively fed by precipitation (ombro ...

with few inhabitants. Around 1600, corporations started to exploit the

. In 1635, the

took control, and established the , as a colony. The colony had advanced to

where it ended due to a border conflict with the 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 ...

. In 1615, the border had been defined by the

Semslinie The Semslinie is a part of the border between the Dutch provinces of Groningen (province), Groningen and Drenthe that runs right through the former Bourtanger Moor. The almost straight line runs from Wolfsbarge to the Huis ter Haar at Musselkan ...

, and the village and monastery of

Ter Apel Ter Apel (; Gronings: ''Troapel'') is a village with a population of 9,914 residents in the municipality Westerwolde (municipality), Westerwolde in the northern Netherlands, in the province Groningen (province), Groningen in the region Westerwolde ...

was assigned to Drenthe. In 1817, the line was modified with the so-called ''Koningsraai'' which assigned Ter Apel to Groningen. In 1819, Groningen started extending the in a south-eastern direction close to the provincial border. The canal was initially called Stads-Musselkanaal and contains two bends due to the ''Koningsraai''. In 1850, the canal was renamed . The village was named after the canal. Musselkanaal is a

linear settlement A linear settlement is a (normally small to medium-sized) settlement or group of buildings that is formed in a long line. Many of these settlements are formed along a transport route, such as a road, river, or canal. Others form due to physical r ...

, and contains five side-canals along which houses were built. There is a large park and sports ground in the south of the town. The Horstenerbos, a forest area, is located on the northern side. The peat extraction resulted in an immigration from neighbouring Germany. Many of the immigrants were Catholics, and in 1843, a Catholic church was built in Zandberg. In 1903, a parish was established in Musselkanaal. It used to have a railway line and train station. In 1955, the line closed for passengers, and for goods in 1990. In 1992, the section

Veendam Veendam () is a town and municipality with a population of 27,752 in the province of Groningen in the northeast of the Netherlands. Veendam was established in 1648 as a peat colony by Adriaan Geerts Wildervanck. Holland America Line has named fo ...

–

–Musselkanaal was bought by which operates a museum line with

steam train A steam locomotive is a locomotive that provides the force to move itself and other vehicles by means of the expansion of steam. It is fuelled by burning combustible material (usually coal, oil or, rarely, wood) to heat water in the locomoti ...

s. The town used to be part of the municipality of

, but was merged into

in 1968.

Notable people

Jannes Munneke Jannes Albert Munneke (born 6 February 1949) is a retired Dutch rower. He competed at the 1972 Summer Olympics The 1972 Summer Olympics (), officially known as the Games of the XX Olympiad () and officially branded as Munich 1972 (; ), wer ...

(born 1949), a rower who competed at the 1972 Summer Olympics *

Sienie Strikwerda Geesiena Jacoba "Sienie" Strikwerda (née van Klinken; 7 November 1921 – 23 June 2013) was a Dutch educator, feminist, and Anti-nuclear movement, anti–nuclear weapons activist. She served as chairperson of the , the national committee against ...

(1921–2013), educator, feminist and anti–nuclear weapons activist

Gallery

File:Musselkanaal IJzeren-Klap.JPG, De IJzeren Klap (bridge) File:Kerk Kerkstraat Musselkanaal2.jpg, Protestant church File:Overzicht_ophaalbrug_met_schuifsluis_-_Musselkanaal_-_20532379_-_RCE.jpg, The fifth lock File:Valthermond spoor 02.jpg, Unused railway line (2014)

References

{{Commons category, position=left Populated places in Groningen (province) Stadskanaal