Westernieland

Westernieland (Gronings: Westernijland) is a village in the Dutch province of Groningen. It is part of the municipality of Het Hogeland. The village is located near the Wadden Sea.

== History == Around 1000, the village of Mariaburen was founded on a sand ridge near the Wadden Sea. Westernieland was sometimes referred to as Mariaburen in den Nijenlanden (Mariaburen in the new lands), however it is unclear whether it is the same village. Around 1350, a dike was built. The village was first mentioned in 1406 as Inden Nyen Lande (in the new land). Later "west" was added to distinguish itself from Oosternieland to the east. The church contains 14th century parts, however the main construction is from 1831.