Harkstede (ˈhɑrksteːdə) is a small village in Slochteren

Slochteren

Slochteren is a municipality in the northeastern Netherlands.The municipality can be characterized as a chain of small villages dividing a mostly agricultural landscape. Having an agricultural background for at least a thousand years, the community houses for the most part commuters to nearby...

, Groningen (province)

Groningen (province)

Groningen [] is the northeasternmost province of the Netherlands. In the east it borders the German state of Niedersachsen , in the south Drenthe, in the west Friesland and in the north the Wadden Sea...

, the Netherlands. Its name is "Haarkstee" (ˈhaːrksteː) in the local dialect, the Gronings

Gronings

Gronings, in the dialect itself called Grunnegs or Grönnegs, is a collective name for some Friso-Saxon dialects spoken in the province of Groningen and around the Groningen border in Drenthe and Friesland. Gronings and the strongly related varieties in East-Frisia have a strong Frisian influence...

. The name is probably meant as "Arkes Stee", which means "pleace for a ark = church". Harkstede has about 3000 inhabitants, what makes it one of the smaller villages in the area. This number will increase in the near future, because of the "Meerstad-project" of the City of Groningen, meaning hundreds of new homes will be built in and around Harkstede.

History

Until 1821, Harkstede was a municipality on its own. In that year it became part of the Slochteren

Slochteren

Slochteren is a municipality in the northeastern Netherlands.The municipality can be characterized as a chain of small villages dividing a mostly agricultural landscape. Having an agricultural background for at least a thousand years, the community houses for the most part commuters to nearby...

municipality. Harkstede was supposedly founded during the 13th century, when the tower next to the local church was built.

Sightseeing

More sightseeing in Harkstede includes the recreation park "Grunopark", and the international rowing course to the north of the village. Harkstede is not all that interesting for tourists, mainly due to its size. Harkstede however does have to offer something for waterski-enthusiasts, with the Grunolake and -beach including a possibility for waterskiing and skijumping. Also once "Meerstad" (lakecity) has been finished, there will be even more waterrecreation possible in Harkstede.