Nieuw-Amsterdam, Netherlands
Encyclopedia
Drenthe
Drenthe is a province of the Netherlands, located in the north-east of the country. The capital city is Assen. It is bordered by Overijssel to the south, Friesland to the west, Groningen to the north, and Germany to the east.-History:Drenthe, unlike many other parts of the Netherlands, has been a...
, The Netherlands, bordering the village of Veenoord
Veenoord
Veenoord is a village in the Netherlands and it is part of the Emmen municipality in Drenthe. Veenoord has an altitude of 13 meters and a population of about 2,200 .-External links:*...
. Tweelingdorp (twin village), a common name for both village, reflects this topographical relationship. For example, the train station was located in Veenoord, while its exit was in Nieuw-Amsterdam. Nevertheless, up to the restructuring of the municipalities in Drenthe, in 1998, both villages were separated by administrative structures. Since then, both villages are part of the municipality of Emmen.
History
In 1850, a group of investors from Amsterdam bought a tract of peatland and named it after their own city: Amsterdamscheveld ("field of Amsterdam"). The settlement that was built near these lands several years later was naturally called Nieuw-Amsterdam.The settlement developed itself quickly because of the peat trade. Drenthe
Drenthe
Drenthe is a province of the Netherlands, located in the north-east of the country. The capital city is Assen. It is bordered by Overijssel to the south, Friesland to the west, Groningen to the north, and Germany to the east.-History:Drenthe, unlike many other parts of the Netherlands, has been a...
therefore acquired the nickname Drents California. The only difference was that there was no gold in the ground, but peat.
Important for the development of the village was that it is situated along the canal called the Verlengde Hoogeveensevaart.
Transportation
Railway station: Nieuw AmsterdamNieuw Amsterdam railway station
Nieuw Amsterdam is a railway station located in Nieuw Amsterdam, The Netherlands. The station was opened on 1 November 1905 and is located on the Zwolle–Emmen railway...
The village is located at the train track from Zwolle
Zwolle railway station
Zwolle is a railway station in Zwolle, the capital of the province Overijssel, the Netherlands. The station opened on 6 June 1864 and is on the Utrecht–Kampen railway, also known as the Centraalspoorweg, the Zwolle–Almelo railway, the Arnhem–Leeuwarden railway and the Zwolle–Emmen railway.The...
to Emmen
Emmen railway station
Emmen is a terminus railway station located in Emmen, the Netherlands. The station was opened on 1 November 1905 and is located on the Zwolle–Emmen railway...
. This track was opened in 1905 and was constructed by the NOLS. Before the train, Nieuw-Amsterdam already had two steam tram connections: the DSM station was opened in 1899 and the EDS station in 1903.
Churches
The "Hervormde kerk" was erected in 1873 by the architect H. C. Winters. The "gereformeerde kerk" with its paraboloidal roof was built in 1925, based on the design by architect W. van Straten. The names of both churches can be translated in English as "Reformed Church"Vincent van Gogh
Most of the time Vincent van GoghVincent van Gogh
Vincent Willem van Gogh , and used Brabant dialect in his writing; it is therefore likely that he himself pronounced his name with a Brabant accent: , with a voiced V and palatalized G and gh. In France, where much of his work was produced, it is...
spent in Drenthe, in autumn 1883, he lodged with Scholte in Nieuw-Amsterdam. Today, Scholte's lodging house is known as the Van Gogh House (Van Gogh Huis). Recently, the municipality of Emmen planned to demolish the building, but at the last moment this decision was reversed. Today, it houses a restaurant and a museum.
The Ophaalbrug in Nieuw-Amsterdam is probably the most popular work Van Gogh executed during his stay in Nieuw-Amsterdam.
Even more popular is the oral tradition concerning Van Gogh at whatever place he stayed for a while. Thus, in Nieuw-Amsterdam he is said to have paid the rent with his paintings, but the landlord could not estimate their value and burnt them.