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DIETZLAND

Dietzland is a municipality in Kronenburg. It consists of two large and several smaller islands. The municipality was created in 1798 and is located north-east of Groningen, Waterland and Oosterland and has aproximately 316,000 inhabitants, 134,000 of which live in the capital city of Portus Regius.

Koningin Marie-Louiseland
'Queen Marie-Louiseland', as it is sometimes called in English, is named after queen Marie-Louise (1688 - 1765), the wife of king Jan I.  The municipal capital of Portus Regius is located on the northeasternmost point of the island. The city was founded in 1806 in commemmoration of king Willem III and, as the name suggests, the city is above all a harbour city, from where the country's second most important fishing fleet operates. The city is old fashioned with little new buildings. The psychological centre of the city (which isn't the real centre of the city) is Het Merk, a large rectangular square with some kind of triumphal arch in the middle. On the north side of Het Merk the stately city hall is located, with monumental stairs and an impressing balcony, where the mayor traditionally wishes the people a happy new year on the 2nd of January each year. On the south side of the square one finds the municipal library; one of few modern buildings in the city. In Portus Regius a shipping museum and the colonisation museum can be found as well. The 'Dietzlandse Concerthuis' (Dietzlandic Concert House) is home to the Dietzlandic Philharmonic Orchestra.

On the island the villages of Oosterbaai, Jansbaai and Treurgat can be found as well.

Koningin Annaland
The second largest island of Dietzland is Koningin Annaland, named after queen Anna (1709 - 1759), the wife of king Willem II. The largest place on this island is Zurich, a lively town of around 100,000 inhabitants. The three villages on the island are called Gaast, Ulsda and Madaket. Little happens there.

The island is the final destination of a bridge which is projected to be built from Oosterland, through Engelbert.

Engelbert
The narrow island of Engelbert used to be part of the municipality of Oosterland, but was made part of Dietzland in 1976. The only settlement on the island is the town of Engelbert, which was founded in 1922. Nowadays, Engelbert has around 53,000 inhabitants. Engelbert is one of the more christian villages of Kronenburg. The town has four large churches and several smaller ones. The Henoch Church on the Begraafplaatslaan is the largest one. Apart from the typical little colonists' houses which were built since the foundation of the city, one can find on the Havenstraat the famous Light House of Engelbert, built in 1927. The Plein ('Square') has the Sveinbjörnráðhús, the town hall, built in 1957 by the Icelandic immigrant Þórólfur Sveinbjörnsson. In the eastern part of the town, on the Zeeweg, you can see the 'Congresgebouw' (Congress building) from 1991. This building is a rather abstract composition, but for those who love modern architecture a source of beauty and spatial design. In the Koningin Albertine Agnes-Zaal in this congress building, the first AGL Conference in Kronenburg was organised on 8 January 2000.

Other islands
Among the smaller islands of Dietzland, there are three that are inhabited. The first is the island of Iris, which is on the AGL list of Cultural Heritage. The village of Den Draai is located on Iris. The second is Oranjeland, which contains the villages of Fort Albertine Agnes and Fort Casimir. The small island of Kassel is almost completely occupied by the village with the same name.

Mayors of Dietzland

1798 - 1814
1814 - 1817
1817 - 1843
1843 - 1850
1850 - 1855
1855 - 1871
1871 - 1878
1878 - 1890
1890 - 1894
1894 - 1903

Henrik Dantuma
Johannes Dykstra
Foppe Dykstra
Oene Walstra
Durk Hubertus Menkema
Rinze Dykstra
George Radcliffe
Maarten Roorda
Hans Willem Wissink
Douwe Bottema

1903 - 1923
1923 - 1923
1923 - 1935
1935 - 1941
1941 - 1947
1947 - 1950
1950 - 1960
1960 - 1966
1966 - 1973
1973 - 1980

Eyso Gjaltema
Frans Potze
Richard Walstra
Otto Bruins Kammingha first term
Clifford Graham
Otto Bruins Kammingha second term
Boele Nijenstijn
Thorben Hillborg
Pia Eisses-Opland Falting (f)
Marja Weisbeek-van Haren (f)

1980 - 1983
1983 - 1991
1991 - 1996
1996 - 2000
2000 - 2012
2012 - 2012

Albert Prins
Bas Maarsingh
Saskia Wiersma-Wittenberg (f)
Hendrik van den Brink
Albert Fransuma
Margit Graeff-Ahlstrand (f)