Bourtange
| Bourtange | |
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| Village | |
Market square in the center of Fort Bourtange
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 Bourtange
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| Coordinates: 53°00′24″N 7°11′31″E / 53.0066°N 7.1920°ECoordinates: 53°00′24″N 7°11′31″E / 53.0066°N 7.1920°E | |
| Country | Netherlands |
| Province | Groningen |
| Municipality | Vlagtwedde |
| Area (2012) | |
| • Total | 159 ha (393 acres) |
| • Land | 147 ha (363 acres) |
| • Water | 12 ha (30 acres) |
| Population (2012) | |
| • Total | 430 |
| • Density | 270/km2 (700/sq mi) |
| Time zone | CET (UTC+1) |
| • Summer (DST) | CEST (UTC+2) |
| Postal code | 9545 |
| Area code | 0599 |
| ISO 3166 code | NL-GR |
Bourtange (Dutch pronunciation: [ˌbuːrˈtɑŋə]; Gronings: Boertang) is a village with a population of 430 in the municipality of Vlagtwedde in the Netherlands. It is situated in the region Westerwolde in the east of the province of Groningen near the German border. Fort Bourtange was built in 1593 during the Dutch Revolt and was used until 1851. The star fort was restored to its mid-18th-century state in 1960 and it is currently an open-air museum.
The name Bourtange comes from the Dutch word tange (sand ridge), because the settlement is situated on a strategically important sand ridge in the marshes of the Bourtange Moor.
Fort Bourtange was initially built during the Eighty Years' War (circa 1568–1648) when William I of Orange wanted to control the only road between Germany and the city of Groningen which was controlled by the Spanish. This road followed a sandy ridge (tange) through the marshes (the Bourtange Swamp).
Later, around 1594, Bourtange became part of the fortifications on the border between the northern provinces (Groningen, Friesland, Drenthe) and Germany.
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