Nieuwe Pekela

History

In the 1590s, the Friesche Compagnie (Frisian Company) was founded to exploit the peat in the area. In 1599, the raised bog around the River Pekel A was bought and subdivided in 101 lots. Houses were built along the river for the workers. In 1635, it became part of the , and was controlled by the city of Groningen as a colony. In 1704, the linear settlement was split into Oude Pekela (Old) and Nieuwe Pekela (New), because a second Dutch Reformed Church was built. Nieuwe Pekela was a separate municipality until 1990, when it merged with Oude Pekela to form the new municipality of Pekela. The peat industry started to attract workers from neighbouring Germany who brought their own form of Protestantism: the Lutheran church. The closest church was in Winschoterzijl which was four hours by foot. A ship was quicker, however it was not always possible during the winter. In 1762, a Lutheran church was constructed in Nieuwe Pekela. The church burned down in 1865, but was rebuilt in 1868. It was declared a monument in 2000. Since the late 20th century, attendance of the Lutheran church is in decline, and they nowadays cooperate with the Dutch Reformed Church and often have joint services. The museum opened in 1990, and provides an overview of the maritime history of the region. There is a large collection of pottery and paintings collected by the skippers of the Pekelas. There is a special emphasis on the many gold and silver objects acquired during the journeys. The 18-year-old Grietje Schoonhoven was employed at the factory, and discovered that her male colleagues had been given a raise while the salary of the women had remained the same. The women twice went to the management who refused to raise their salary. On 15 December 1969, the 30 women employed at Champ Clark…