Bellingwedde (Dutch pronunciation:[ˌbɛlɪŋˈʋɛdə]ⓘ) was a municipality in the province Groningen in the northeast of the Netherlands. Bellingwedde was established in 1968, when the municipalities of Bellingwolde and Wedde merged. After almost 50 years, Bellingwedde was disestablished in 2018, when the municipalities of Bellingwedde and Vlagtwedde merged into Westerwolde.
Etymology
The name Bellingwedde is a portmanteau of Bellingwolde and Wedde, which are the names of the two municipalities that were merged in 1968 to form Bellingwedde. At the time, three names were considered for the new municipality: Bellingewedde, proposed by the province of Groningen, Bellingwolde-Wedde, proposed by the municipal council of Bellingwolde, and Bellingwedde, proposed by the municipal council of Wedde. The province selected the last option, which was eventually also accepted by the municipal council of Bellingwolde.[4]
History
On 1 September 1968, the municipality of Bellingwedde was formed by merging the municipalities of Bellingwolde and Wedde.[5]
Bellingwedde is bordered by the Dutch municipalities of Oldambt (in the north), Pekela (west), Stadskanaal (south-west), and Vlagtwedde (south), and by the German municipalities of Rhede (south-east) and Bunde (north-east). The nearest city is Winschoten.
The north border of Bellingwedde follows the river Pekel Aa. The river Westerwoldse Aa crosses the east of Bellingwedde from south to north. The canal B.L. Tijdenskanaal, that unites the Mussel-Aa-kanaal and the Ruiten-Aa-kanaal in the south, crosses the west of Bellingwedde from south to north.
The municipal council had 13 members. In the 2014 election, the last prior to merger, turnout was 57.57% with 4,191 valid votes. The results are shown in the table below:[12] A coalition was formed between the Labour Party (PvdA), the Christian Democratic Appeal (CDA), and the People's Party for Freedom and Democracy (VVD). All three parties had one alderman in the college of mayor and aldermen. Although the Socialist Party got the most votes, it is not part of the coalition.[13]
Since 1968, when the municipality was established, Bellingwedde had a population between 8,561 and 9,748.[17][18] In 2015, it had a population of 9,154 and a population density of 84/km2 (220/sq mi).[18]
Attractions
Two villages have a state protected village area (Dutch: beschermd dorpsgezicht), Oudeschans since 1991 and Bellingwolde since 2009.[19]
There are two museums in Bellingwedde.[20]Museum de Oude Wolden in Bellingwolde is a regional museum about the art and history of Oldambt and Westerwolde. It has temporary exhibitions and a permanent exhibition with paintings of Lodewijk Bruckman from the municipal collection of Bellingwedde.[21]Vestingmuseum Oudeschans in Oudeschans is a history museum about the fortification of Oudeschans. It has a collection of archaeological findings from the 17th and 18th century on display.[22]
The Wedderborg is a borg, a type of castle from the province of Groningen, in Wedde. The building has 14th, 15th, and 16th-century elements and is currently used as a hotel and restaurant.[28][29]
Infrastructure
Roads
There are no highways in Bellingwedde. The nearest highway is the A7 (E22) directly north of the municipality and which is connected to Groningen in the west and Leer (Germany) in the east; its nearest access point is exit 48 (Oudeschans).
There are four provincial roads in the municipality. In the northwest, the N367 connects the municipality to Winschoten and Oude and Nieuwe Pekela. The N368 runs from northwest to southwest, connects Blijham via Wedde to Vlagtwedde, and also connects to the other three major roads. The N969 runs from west to southeast and connects Blijham via Bellingwolde and Rhederbrug to Rhede in Germany. And the N973 runs from southwest to the center and connects Wedde via Vriescheloo to Bellingwolde.