Wijster | |
Settlement Type: | Village |
Native Name Lang: | nl |
Image Map1: | Map NL - Midden-Drenthe - Wijster.png |
Map Caption1: | The town centre (dark green) and the statistical district (light green) of Wijster in the municipality of Midden-Drenthe. |
Pushpin Map: | Netherlands Drenthe#Netherlands |
Pushpin Label Position: | left |
Pushpin Map Caption: | Location in the Netherlands |
Subdivision Type: | Country |
Subdivision Name: | Netherlands |
Subdivision Type1: | Province |
Subdivision Name1: | Drenthe |
Subdivision Type2: | Municipality |
Subdivision Name2: | Midden-Drenthe |
Coordinates: | 52.8161°N 6.5167°W |
Elevation Footnotes: | [1] |
Elevation M: | 16 |
Area Total Km2: | 26.25 |
Population Footnotes: | [2] |
Population Total: | 1,085 |
Population As Of: | 2021 |
Population Density Km2: | auto |
Population Density Urban Km2: | auto |
Timezone: | CET |
Utc Offset: | +1 |
Timezone Dst: | CEST |
Utc Offset Dst: | +2 |
Postal Code Type: | Postal code |
Postal Code: | 9418 |
Area Code Type: | Dialing code |
Area Code: | 0593 |
Wijster is a village in the Dutch province of Drenthe. It is a part of the municipality of Midden-Drenthe, and lies about 11 km north of Hoogeveen.
The village was first mentioned in 1206 as in Wisnare. The etymology is unknown.[3] Wijster is an esdorp which developed in the Early Middle Ages as a satellite of Beilen. It used to have no church, but did have a large funnel shaped brink (village square).[4]
Wijster was home to 300 people in 1840.[5] The Dutch Reformed church dates from 1929 and is a simple church with a little ridge turret.[4]
Wijster is best known for its landfill. From 1929 onwards, garbage was dumped in Wijster, and has resulted in high hill.[6] [7]
See main article: 1975 Dutch train hostage crisis.
Wijster was the site of the 1975 Dutch train hostage crisis. In 1949, Indonesia became independent, and the Royal Netherlands East Indies Army was disbanded. The islands of Ambon, Buru, and Seram had fought on side of the Netherlands. They were opposed to a Java-dominated Indonesia, and proclaimed the Republic of South Maluku which resulted in an attack by Indonesia. In 1951, 12,000 refugees from South Maluku were temporarily resettled in the Netherlands. They started to feel betrayed, because it developed into permanent exile.[8]
On 2 December 1975, the train from Groningen to Zwolle stopped in a field near Wijster. Seven South Moluccans had ceased the train and killed the driver. The Dutch government was reluctant to negotiate, and the hijackers tried to kill a passenger, however he managed to escape and after being shot at, pretended to be dead. During the twelve days which followed, two more passengers were shot. Johan Manusama, the former president of the Republic of South Maluku, managed to persuade the hijackers to surrender. In 1976, the hijackers were sentenced to 14 year imprisonment.[9]
There is one primary school, Zuiderenk.[10]