Roden (Drents: Roon) is a Dutch esdorp in the north of the
province of Drenthe, about fifteen kilometers southwest of the city
of Groningen. Until January 1, 1998, Roden was an independent
municipality. During the last municipal reorganization of Drenthe in
1998, the municipality was merged into the municipality of
Noordenveld.
In the 20th century, Roden was located on the
Drachten - Groningen tram line. Another important connection was the
Rodervaart. Today the N372 and N373 are the most important
connections.
Roden has a central function for the
municipality of Noordenveld, with an extensive industrial area and a
large number of shops. With 14,620 inhabitants, the village is the
fifth largest in the province of Drenthe.
The history of Roden goes back to the Middle Ages and largely parallels that of most Drenthe es villages. Little is left of the old brink. This green is largely paved and bordered by buildings of which the church is the most dominant. The brink is the place where a fair is held several times a year. There is a statue of Ot and Sien on the green. On the Brink, near the church, is the former farm 'Winsinghhof', which now houses a cultural center. The Winsinghhof was originally a merchant's house, but became a fully-fledged farm in the 19th century.
The
Rodermarkt (North Drents: 'Ronermaark') takes place on the fourth
Tuesday of September. This is originally a livestock and commodity
market, but due to the declining supply of livestock, the emphasis
has increasingly shifted to the commodity market in recent decades.
The market attracts many thousands of visitors from the surrounding
area. A large number of events are organized around this market,
including the final of the Miss Noord Election, a funfair, grass
track races for motorcycles (for the Golden Helmet) on Sunday and a
parade with decorated cars on Saturday, the Rodermarktparade.
Finally, on Wednesday, the short track trotting will take place on
the Norgerweg, which will be covered with sand for the occasion,
followed by a trotting track.
The Rodermarktparade consists
of a parade of music bands and decorated wagons. These cars are
built by neighborhood associations and schools in Roden and the
surrounding area. The most beautiful cars are rewarded with prizes.
Every year, thousands of people come to Roden to enjoy the parade,
the atmosphere or the nightlife during the Rodermarkt period.
Mensinge estate
On the southeast side of the old
village center is manate Mensinge with surrounding canals and
meadows. The house with estate is about 5.5 hectares and has not
been privately owned since 1985, but is owned by the municipality.
It was founded in 1381 and its important owners have played an
important role in the history of Roden and the surrounding area.
Today it is partly a museum and partly used as accommodation for a
few companies. The nature areas Mensingebos and Sterrebos border the
estate with freely accessible forests and heath. The Sterrebos is so
named because of the Kapteyn Observatory that was built by the
Astronomy Department of the University of Groningen in Roden to
avoid the light pollution in the city of Groningen,
Around the year 800, itinerant monks were busy spreading the faith
in Drenthe. There was already a chapel in Vries in 775. In 1139
there was a daughter church of the Boniface church of Vries in
Roden. The face of the Roder Brink is determined by the Catherine
Church, built in the 13th century and dedicated to Saint Catherine.
The oldest part of the church is the nave, which dates from the
thirteenth century. The choir itself dates from the fifteenth
century.
According to the will of Maria Catharina Hoppinck
from 1776, 10,000 Carolus guilders were made available for the
construction of an organ. The organ was built by Albertus Antoni
Hinsz (1704-1785), an organ builder from Germany.
Roden also has intangible, or 'living', heritage. Intangible (living) heritage is a custom or tradition that used to be, but is still practiced today. The characteristic of intangible heritage is that it is dynamic and therefore changes and grows with the times. The block throwing game will be played from September after Rodermarkt on the 'Moltmaker piece' which is located on the heathland south of the Mensingebos.