Herkingen Explained

Herkingen
Settlement Type:Village
Native Name Lang:nl
Pushpin Map:Netherlands South Holland#Netherlands
Pushpin Label Position:right
Pushpin Mapsize:250
Pushpin Map Caption:Location in the province of South Holland in the Netherlands##Location in the Netherlands
Subdivision Type:Country
Subdivision Name:Netherlands
Subdivision Type1:Province
Subdivision Name1:South Holland
Subdivision Type2:Municipality
Subdivision Name2:Goeree-Overflakkee
Elevation Footnotes:[1]
Elevation M:0.8
Area Total Km2:9.71
Population Footnotes:[2]
Population Total:1,250
Population As Of:2021
Population Density Km2:auto
Timezone:CET
Utc Offset:+1
Timezone Dst:CEST
Utc Offset Dst:+2
Postal Code Type:Postal code
Postal Code:3249
Area Code Type:Dialing code
Area Code:0187
Coordinates:51.71°N 4.0872°W

Herkingen is a village in the Dutch province of South Holland. It is located on the south coast of the island Goeree-Overflakkee, in the municipality of Goeree-Overflakkee.

History

Herkingen was first mentioned in 1420 or 1421 as "Herkinghe", and means "settlement of Herke (person)".[3] Herkingen is a dike village which developed after the Oud-Herkingen polder was created in 1483. In 1511, it was flooded and a new dike was constructed around the village in 1604.[4]

The Dutch Reformed church is a modest aisleless church parallel to the dike which was constructed in 1788.[4] The grist mill De Dankbaarheid was built in 1841. It was in service until 1960, and in 1966, it was used as a holiday home. It was restored in the 1990s, and operational in 2000. The windmill is frequently in service on a voluntary basis.[5]

Herkingen was home to 628 people in 1840.[6] Herkingen was severely damaged during the North Sea flood of 1953.[4]

Herkingen was a separate municipality between 1817 and 1966, when it merged with Dirksland. In 2013, it became part of the municipality of Goeree-Overflakkee.[6]

Overview

Herkingen lies on the south side of the island and borders the Grevelingenmeer, which is a saltwater lake that has been disconnected directly from the North Sea by the Brouwersdam, but still connects to the Oosterschelde which is saltwater. The Grevelingenmeer has quite a large size yachting marina and is a large water sports area with the main recreational areas on Schouwen-Duiveland. The town of Herkingen currently hosts several of the largest modern windmills in the country.

References

  1. Web site: Postcodetool for 3249AA . nl . Actueel Hoogtebestand Nederland . Het Waterschapshuis . 3 May 2022 .
  2. Web site: Kerncijfers wijken en buurten 2021 . Central Bureau of Statistics . 3 May 2022.
  3. Web site: Herkingen - (geografische naam) . Etymologiebank . 3 May 2022 . nl.
  4. News: Herkingen . Ronald Stenvert & Sabine Broekhoven . Waanders . Zwolle . 2004 . 90 400 9034 3 . nl . 3 May 2022.
  5. Web site: De Dankbaarheid . Molen database . 3 May 2022 . nl.
  6. Web site: Herkingen . Plaatsengids . 3 May 2022 . nl . 18 June 2024 . https://web.archive.org/web/20240618205719/https://www.plaatsengids.nl/herkingen . dead .