Village landscape of Nieuwolda, Nieuw-Scheemda and Wagenborgen

In the northeastern tip of the Netherlands, between Winschoten and Delfzijl, there are three small villages that seem insignificant, but that show a nice piece of Groningen history. You cycle inland from the North Sea and visit the three villages of Nieuwolda, Nieuw-Scheemda and Wagenborgen on this fun, rural route. From the parking lot, a stone's throw from the North Sea, you cycle through the hamlet of Woldendorp to Nieuwolda. This village was founded in the sixteenth century and was then called Midwolderhamrik. A dike was built to contain the Dollard and over the centuries people pushed the water further and further back. The reclaimed land was very fertile and that contributed to the wealth of the farmers in the area. Part of that wealth can be read from the beautiful buildings that were built in the village. You leave Nieuwolda behind to cycle to Nieuw-Schheemda, which is called the Scheemterham brand in Groningen. In 2008 the village had less than 280 inhabitants and is therefore an extremely small community. Nieuw-Schheemda, just like Nieuwolda, was created after the reclamation of part of the Dollard. Here, too, dikes were built in the sixteenth century to contain the water. Nieuw-Scheemda is also home to the Dutch Reformed Church (key address Mrs. De Haan, near the church). This beautiful, modest Gothic church dates from 1661. The church has a hipped roof, on which there is a six-sided eaves. It is a simple, but harmonious church that has preserved its authenticity over the centuries. On the way from Nieuw-Scheemda to Wagenborgen is the Noordermolen, which was built in 1805. It is one of the oldest polder mills in the Netherlands that still rotates and grinds (on a voluntary basis). Because the condition of the mill deteriorated over time - even a restoration in 1963 was of no avail, the Noordermolen was eventually reduced to a ruin. In 2004, the mill was completely and extensively restored so that it could be put back into operation. Wagenborgen is the largest of the three villages on the route. The village center is located on a sand ridge that used to be a bank of the Dollard. The fact that Wagenborgen was historically the least important of the three villages can be seen from the allotment structure, the plots are not perpendicular to the sand ridge but are laid out a lot more sloppily, which ultimately did not benefit the farmers' harvests. As a result, Wagenborg lagged behind Nieuwolda and Nieuw-Schheemde.