| Bourtange | |
| Settlement Type: | Village |
| Image Alt: | Brick houses and trees around an empty market square |
| Pushpin Map: | Netherlands Groningen#Netherlands |
| Pushpin Label Position: | left |
| Pushpin Map Alt: | Maps of the Netherlands and Groningen with the location of Bourtange |
| Pushpin Map Caption: | Location in the province of Groningen |
| Coordinates: | 53.0066°N 7.192°W |
| Subdivision Type: | Country |
| Subdivision Name: | Netherlands |
| Subdivision Type1: | Province |
| Subdivision Name1: | Groningen |
| Subdivision Type2: | Municipality |
| Subdivision Name2: | Westerwolde |
| Unit Pref: | Metric |
| Area Footnotes: | (2012)[1] |
| Area Total Ha: | 159 |
| Area Land Ha: | 147 |
| Area Water Ha: | 12 |
| Population Total: | 430 |
| Population As Of: | 2012 |
| Population Density Km2: | auto |
| Timezone1: | CET |
| Utc Offset1: | +1 |
| Timezone1 Dst: | CEST |
| Utc Offset1 Dst: | +2 |
| Postal Code Type: | Postal code |
| Postal Code: | 9545[2] |
| Area Code Type: | Area code |
| Area Code: | 0599[3] |
| Iso Code: | NL-GR |
| Flag Size: | 100 |
Bourtange (pronounced as /nl/; Gronings: Boertang) is a village with a population of 430 in the municipality of Westerwolde in the Netherlands. It is situated in the region Westerwolde in the east of the province of Groningen near the German border. Fort Bourtange was built in 1593 during the Dutch Revolt and was used until 1851. Between 1967[4] and 1992 the star fort was gradually restored to its mid-18th-century state and it is currently an open-air museum.[5] [6]
The name Bourtange comes from the Dutch word tange (sand ridge), because the settlement is situated on a strategically important sand ridge in the marshes of the Bourtange Moor.[7]
Fort Bourtange was initially built during the Eighty Years' War (circa 1568–1648) when William I of Orange wanted to control the main road between Germany and the city of Groningen which was controlled by the Spanish. This road followed a sandy ridge (tange) through the marshes (the Bourtange Swamp).
Later, around 1594, Bourtange became part of the fortifications on the border between the northern provinces (Groningen, Friesland, Drenthe) and Germany.
Bourtange was a separate municipality until 1822, when it was merged with Vlagtwedde.
In 1851 the star fort was given up and Bourtange became a normal village.[8]
Around 1960 living conditions in the village deteriorated and it was decided that Bourtange would be rebuilt to its state of 1740-1750. Today it is an open-air museum.
Bourtange is located in the center of the municipality of Westerwolde and in the east of the province of Groningen near the German border. It is situated on a sand ridge in the Bourtange Moor, in the region of Westerwolde.
In 2001, the town of Bourtange had 267 inhabitants. The built-up area of the town was 0.21 km2, and contained 133 residences.[9] In 2005, the statistical area "Bourtange", which also can include the surrounding countryside, had a population of around 530.[10]
As of 2012, Bourtange has a population of 430 and a population density of 270/km2.[1]