| Tolbert | |
| Settlement Type: | Town |
| Pushpin Map: | Netherlands Groningen#Netherlands |
| Pushpin Map Caption: | Location in province of Groningen in the Netherlands |
| Subdivision Type: | Country |
| Subdivision Name: |  Netherlands |
| Subdivision Type1: | Province |
| Subdivision Type2: | Municipality |
| Subdivision Name2: | Westerkwartier |
| Coordinates: | 53.1703°N 6.3624°W |
| Elevation Footnotes: | [1] |
| Elevation M: | 4 |
| Area Total Km2: | 12.74 |
| Population Footnotes: | [2] |
| Population Total: | 4,475 |
| Population As Of: | 2021 |
| Population Density Km2: | auto |
| Population Density Urban Km2: | auto |
| Timezone: | CET |
| Utc Offset: | +1 |
| Timezone Dst: | CEST |
| Utc Offset Dst: | +2 |
| Postal Code Type: | Postal code |
| Postal Code: | 9356 |
| Area Code Type: | Dialing code |
| Area Code: | 0594 |
Tolbert is a town in the Dutch province of Groningen. It is part of the municipality of Westerkwartier and forms a single urban area with Leek.
Tolbert is located in the region. The area was settled during the 10th and 11th century.[3] It was first mentioned in 1479 as Oldebert. The name is a contraction of het (the definite article) ol(de) (old) and bert (village), and literally means "the old village".[4] The church is from the 17th century, but contains 13th century parts.[5] The parish dates from the 14th century. In 1794, Tolbert bought a seat in the States of Groningen from Aduard,[6] and in 1795 was the seat of a municipality with Midwolde, Lettelbert and Oostwold. In 1795, it was home to 476 people.[7] By 1817, it was part of the municipality of Leek.[8]
Tolbert was mainly an agricultural community, however the industrialisation of nearby Leek attracted people to the village.[3] In 1907, there was a malaria outbreak in Tolbert.[9] After World War II, Tolbert and Leek became a single urban area, however it remained a separate entity. In 2019, it became part of the municipality of Westerkwartier.[3]
In 1950, a street circuit for motorcycle racing was set-up in the village. In 1956, it was considered too dangerous and was no longer permitted. In 1970, permission was granted outside the build-up area.[3] In 1984, Jack Middelburg was killed during a race.[10] In 2008, the races ended, because the organisation could not finance the required safety investments.[11]