Grootegast, where is it anyway?
Posted on August 21, 2017 • 2 min read • 374 words
I often get asked where Grootegast is located. Some people know a few places near Groningen, but Grootegast doesn’t ring a bell for them.
Grootegast is an independent municipality, and in 2019, it will merge with Leek, Zuidhorn, and Marum to form the municipality of Westerkwartier. The name is quite logical since the region was already known as the Westerkwartier, and we even have our own dialect called Westerkwartiers.
Looking at the map of the Netherlands, you can see that Grootegast is located in the north of the country. And as you hopefully know, the Netherlands is in Europe.
Some distances in the Netherlands from Grootegast:
| Place | km |
|---|---|
| Groningen | 28 |
| Assen | 50 |
| Zwolle | 104 |
| Amsterdam | 165 |
| Utrecht | 170 |
| Maastricht | 334 |
Conclusion: Grootegast is not really the center of the Netherlands. At least, not in terms of kilometers.
Grootegast, the center of Europe?
If we go further into Europe, we might see a different picture.
| Place | km |
|---|---|
| Oslo | 790 |
| Hamburg | 483 |
| Aalborg | 483 |
| Nuremberg | 546 |
| Bucharest | 1740 |
| Rome | 1365 |
| Lisbon | 1970 |
| Gibraltar | 2095 |
| Reykjavik | 2005 |
If you were to draw lines on a map, you might be inclined to conclude that it could very well be the center of Europe. Why is the EU in Brussels/Luxembourg? I don’t know.
Facts
Grootegast (Gronings: Grodegast, Frisian: Gruttegast), population as of April 30, 2017: 12,139, source: CBS, is a municipality in the north of the Netherlands, in the Westerkwartier region of the province of Groningen, named after the main village Grootegast. The municipality covers an area of 88.29 km² (of which 2.60 km² is water). The current municipality was formed in 1990 by the amalgamation of the former municipality Oldekerk into Grootegast.
In 2013, based on the advice of Grenzeloos Grunnen in the province of Groningen, a process began towards municipal reorganization. It is proposed to form one municipality in the Westerkwartier, consisting of the current municipalities of Grootegast, Leek, Marum, and Zuidhorn.
source: Wikipedia
Furthermore, the municipality of Grootegast is a tourist attraction, at least if you know what you are looking for. I sometimes hear from people that it is a very beautiful area. When you live there yourself, it doesn’t stand out that much.
All in all, Grootegast is the place to be.
