Muntendam Explained

Muntendam
Settlement Type:Village
Subdivision Type:Country
Subdivision Name:Netherlands
Subdivision Type1:Province
Subdivision Name1:Groningen
Subdivision Type2:Municipality
Subdivision Name2:Midden-Groningen
Pushpin Map:Netherlands Groningen#Netherlands
Pushpin Map Caption:Location of Muntendam in the province of Groningen
Coordinates:53.1336°N 6.8686°W
Area Total Km2:12.88
Elevation Footnotes:[1]
Elevation M:2.2
Population As Of:2021
Population Footnotes:[2]
Population Total:4,635
Population Density Km2:auto
Timezone:CET
Utc Offset:+1
Timezone Dst:CEST
Utc Offset Dst:+2
Postal Code Type:Postal code
Postal Code:9649
Area Code Type:Dialing code
Area Code:0598

Muntendam is a village in the municipality of Midden-Groningen, in the Dutch province of Groningen. The village has a population of 4,635 (2021). Muntendam had been an independent parish since the Middle Ages, but until 1840 it was ecclesiastically part of Zuidbroek.

From 1811 until 1990 it was a separate municipality, which boasted the title 'reddest (most socialist) municipality in the Netherlands', with a council of 11 containing 7 PvdA (Labour Party) members and 2 CPN (Communist Party) members. (However, nearby Reiderland had had a vast CPN majority since WWII, so the claim is rather too strong). When a new mayor had to be appointed in 1980 (at the time a municipality had no say in the matter), it was assumed that it would become a PvdA mayor as it had always been. However, the then minister of the interior, Hans Wiegel of the right-wing VVD, decided that this very left-wing part of the Netherlands needed a change and appointed a D66 (left of centre) mayor. This led to a cold reception and the first time a Dutch mayor was not officially inaugurated. Over time, however, people started to like him and when he moved to a bigger municipality there was even an action to keep him (to no avail). Not much later, the method of appointing a mayor in the Netherlands was changed, with the municipality putting up a request which is usually followed.

Notes and References

  1. Web site: Postcodetool for 9649AA . nl . Actueel Hoogtebestand Nederland . Het Waterschapshuis . 9 April 2022 .
  2. Web site: Kerncijfers wijken en buurten 2021 . Central Bureau of Statistics . 9 April 2022 . four entries.