Hijken
Village in Drenthe, Netherlands
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Hijken is a village in the Dutch province of Drenthe. It is a part of the municipality of Midden-Drenthe, and lies about 13 km south of Assen, the province capital of Drenthe.
Hijken | |
|---|---|
A farm in Hijken | |
 The village centre (dark green) and the statistical district (light green) of Hijken in the municipality of Midden-Drenthe. | |
  Hijken Location in the Netherlands  Hijken Hijken (Netherlands) | |
| Coordinates: 52.8956°N 6.4967°E | |
| Country | Netherlands |
| Province | Drenthe |
| Municipality | Midden-Drenthe |
| Area | |
• Total | 28.12 km2 (10.86 sq mi) |
| Elevation | 14 m (46 ft) |
| Population (2021)[1] | |
• Total | 930 |
| • Density | 33/km2 (86/sq mi) |
| Time zone | UTC+1 (CET) |
| • Summer (DST) | UTC+2 (CEST) |
| Postal code | 9415 & 9416[1] |
| Dialing code | 0593 |
History
The village was first mentioned in 1370 as "civibus de Hyken". The etymology is unknown.[3] Hijken developed as an esdorp originally without a church in the Early Middle Ages as a satellite of Beilen. In 1858, the Oranjekanaal was dug which cut the village into two halves.[4] It used be a village of shepherds. In 1563, there were 70 sheep for every building.[5]
Hijken was home to 417 people in 1840.[5] In 1906, a Reformed Church was built. In 1915, a steam dairy factory which doubled as grist mill was built. Between 1928 and 1960, it was used as a Dutch Reformed church and is nowadays used by a fodder and fertilizer company.[4] In 2018, the municipality wanted to demolished the bridge over the canal, however protests have resulted in the construction of a new bridge in 2019.[5]
The village is also known for its surrounding Neanderthal settlements. Late Neolithic Hat graves have been discovered dating to a Bronze Age settlement near Hijken.[6]
Education
There is one primary school, ‘t Hieker Nust.[7]
