Hoogersmilde

Hoogersmilde is a village in the Dutch province of Drenthe. It is a part of the municipality of Midden-Drenthe, and lies about 16 km southwest of Assen.

Hoogersmilde
Village
Hoogersmilde, artwork at the entrance to the sand-lime brick factory
The town centre (dark green) and the statistical district (light green) of Hoogersmilde in the municipality of Midden-Drenthe.
Hoogersmilde Location in the Netherlands Show map of Drenthe Hoogersmilde Hoogersmilde (Netherlands) Show map of Netherlands
Coordinates: 52°54′N 6°24′E
Country	Netherlands
Province	Drenthe
Municipality	Midden-Drenthe
Area [1]
• Total	20.29 km2 (7.83 sq mi)
Elevation [2]	13 m (43 ft)
Population  (2021)[1]
• Total	1,665
• Density	82/km2 (210/sq mi)
Time zone	UTC+1 (CET)
• Summer (DST)	UTC+2 (CEST)
Postal code	9422 & 9423[1]
Dialing code	0591

History

The village was first mentioned in 1634 as Hooge Smilde, and means "high Smilde".^[3] In 1614, a large region of raised bog was bought by a group of Amsterdam merchant lead to Adriaan Pauw to excavate the peat.^[4] In 1634, Adriaan Pauw was made Heer of the Heerlijkheid Smilde in 1633. Hoogersmilde is the oldest settlement and was often referred to as Oude-Smilde.^[3] The excavation stagnated around 1730, however it restarted after the Drentsche Hoofdvaart [nl] was dug between 1767 and 1780.^[4]

The Heerlijkheid was dissolved in 1795, and the municipality of Smilde was created with neighbouring Smilde as a capital.^[5] The Dutch Reformed church was built in 1845.^[4] Hoogersmilde was home to 660 people in 1840.^[5]

The Zendstation Smilde is located in Hoogersmilde, it partially collapsed after a fire on 15 July 2011.^[6] The Blauwe Meer, an excavation lake, is situated south of Hoogersmilde.^[7]

Education

There are two primary schools, De Vaart and Pieter van Thuyl.^[8]

Gallery

• 
  Landscape around Hoogersmilde
• 
  The collapsed tower (2011)
• 
  Repaired tower (2012)