Grootegast | |
Settlement Type: | Village, former municipality |
Flag Size: | 100x67px |
Map Alt: | Highlighted position of Grootegast in a municipal map of Groningen |
Coordinates: | 53.2167°N 23°W |
Subdivision Type: | Country |
Subdivision Name: | Netherlands |
Subdivision Type1: | Province |
Subdivision Type2: | Municipality |
Subdivision Name2: | Westerkwartier |
Unit Pref: | Metric |
Area Total Km2: | 31.27 |
Elevation Footnotes: | [1] |
Elevation M: | 2 |
Population Footnotes: | [2] |
Population Total: | 3,350 |
Population As Of: | 2021 |
Population Density Km2: | auto |
Timezone1: | CET |
Utc Offset1: | +1 |
Timezone1 Dst: | CEST |
Utc Offset1 Dst: | +2 |
Postal Code Type: | Postcode |
Postal Code: | 9820–9823, 9860–9869 |
Area Code Type: | Area code |
Area Code: | 0594 |
Grootegast (pronounced as /nl/; gos|Grodegast; fy|Gruttegast) 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.[3]
The former municipality contained the population centres: Doezum, Enumatil, Faan, Grootegast, Kornhorn, Lutjegast, Niekerk, Oldekerk, Opende, Sebaldeburen. In some of these villages, they still speak the West Frisian language.
The village originated around the year 1000 (as Majorgast) and was profiled from 1400 onwards as the counterpart of Lutjegast. The village contains a 17th-century church, the so-called Dutch; Flemish: Witte Kerkje ('Little White Church'). This church was restored in 1829.[4]
Grootegast was the main village of the former municipality. The name of the village refers to a Dutch; Flemish: gast or Dutch; Flemish: gaast, a higher, sandy ridge in an otherwise swampy area. Dutch; Flemish: Groot is Dutch for 'large'.
The Grootegasters dialect, or Westerkwartiers, is clearly a borderline case. Linguistically, the influences of three provinces are noticeable: the dialect is a variant of Gronings, but in terms of intelligibility it is more like Drents; however, the accent and grammar sound rather Frisian, which can be explained by the fact that almost all of Lutjegast still spoke Frisian 100 years ago. Being a border village of Lutjegast, Frisian influence is still noticeable today in the number of villagers of Frisian origin and the many business and social contacts with Friesland.