DINGSTEDE VISITED
.Warning: Don't read this if you only like short messages!
On saterday I was in the city of Utrecht and visited some (old-)bookshops.
In a book called "De geschiedenis van Staphorst" (The history of S.) I found one line on Dingstede:Dingstede was mentioned there "een voormalige Bisschoppelijke Heerlijkheid". I dont know a good translation…. But I think it meens that it was a semi-sovereign property of a Bishop (maybe Utrecht??).
Peeking in an atlas (Bos) from 1951, the enclave still exists. In my atlas (Bos) from 1968 the enclave has disappeard.
It was rainy, foggy and chilly today when I (accompanied by my wife and our two daughters and my mother and sister, who came for a visit but had to come along) visited Dingstede and I was very excited!
It is not hard to find the area.
From de city of Meppel a road called Oeverlandenweg heads for the direction (SW) of Zwartsluis.At this Oeverlandenweg is Dingstede. But about 20 years (?) ago a canal called "Omgelegde Hoogeveense vaart" was digged, leading ships around Meppel. Heading NW to SE, it devides the road into two dead ends.
So nowadays Dingstede lays at a dead end of the Oeverlandenweg, accessable from the SW via Hamingen for example. Although a sandy path along te Omgelegde Hoogeveense vaart makes the Oeverlandenweg accessible from the NE.
What does it look like?
Dingstede lays in the middle of an areay of low meadows en fields. In the neigbourhood there are the (wet) nature reservations of Meppelerdiep and Meppelerdieplanden. On the topo-map it can be found that Dingstede is just on or above sealevel while most of the surroundings are below sealevel. That, by the way, is not exceptional in the NW part of the province of Overijssel.
The former enclave can be recognised very clearly. It is inbetween the road and the dike along te Meppelerdiep and marked bij two ditches running NNE from the Oeverlandenweg.
The premises has two adresses: nr. 36 which is a little concrete electricity building and nr. 38 a farm, apparently having two houses, connected via the barn. The house to the east looked rather recent. The houde on the west and the barn are older, but not to old !!??
No signs or so, except "Dingstede" in vague handpainted letters on a standing concrete sewerpipe.
Foto's will be published on my modest website. But have patience, I still have to start building it….
After some coffee in Zwartsluis, driving back along the other side (N) of the Meppelerdiep, it appeared that a good overview of Dingstede is from that side. So I have to come back to take some more pictures when the weather is better!
Peter wondered where Helselinge is. By the way, doesn't it say Hesselinge? Well it is in Meppel now. A road, sportfacilities and a swimmingpool are named after it. Hesselingen can be found at the Meppel extension of the Oeverlandenweg.
Peter, about the old map of Drente, showing the Semslinie: I have collected some information on the Semslinie and Koningsraai. I printed that map on 8-dec-1998, but was blind, not to see nr. 13, the enclave of Dingstede…
It was a nice experience exploring the surroundings of Dingstede and wider area. One can sense history, culture and nature there. Thanks Peter for your discovery!
Gl
Harry ten Veen