Nieuw-Amsterdam, Netherlands 5.05

Nieuw-Amsterdam is a village in the northeast Netherlands, in the Dutch province of Drenthe. It borders the village of Veenoord, the twin village of Nieuw-Amsterdam. Since 1998 Nieuw-Amsterdam and Veenoord are part of the municipality of Emmen.HistoryIn 1850, a group of investors from Amsterdam bought a tract of peatland and named it after their own city: Amsterdamscheveld ("field of Amsterdam"). A settlement, that was built near these lands several years later, was called Nieuw-Amsterdam.The settlement developed itself quickly because of the peat trade. Drenthe therefore acquired the nickname Drents California. The only difference was that there was no gold in the ground, but peat. Important for the development of the village was that it is situated along the canal called the Verlengde Hoogeveensevaart.The "Hervormde kerk" was erected in 1873 by the architect H. C. Winters. The "gereformeerde kerk" with its paraboloidal roof was built in 1925, based on the design by architect W. van Straten. The names of both churches can be translated in English as "Reformed Church"Vincent van GoghMost of the time Vincent van Gogh spent in Drenthe, in autumn 1883, he lodged with Scholte in Nieuw-Amsterdam. Today, Scholte's lodging house is known as the Van Gogh House (Van Gogh Huis). Recently, the municipality of Emmen planned to demolish the building, but at the last moment this decision was reversed. Today, it houses a restaurant and a museum.The Drawbridge in Nieuw-Amsterdam is probably the most popular work Van Gogh executed during his stay in Nieuw-Amsterdam.