Zwartemeer deserves the honor: the village between Emmen and Germany has the most beautiful Christmas street in the entire country, according to the Hart van Nederland election. You know what? It is the most beautiful Christmas village.
It doesn’t want to be Christmas this Saturday before Christmas. Drizzling rain and downpours alternate, autumn is here. Also in Zwartemeer.
The people want it, they have put their village in the Christmas spirit with thousands of lights. Decorated Christmas trees in the front garden, here and there a reindeer or a light-up gutter and certainly the center of the village is bathed in light.
Zwartemeer could easily be called Wittemeer these days.
Motor club Black Eagle wants to do something for the village
Leave that to the Black Eagle motorcycle club. About ten years ago he took the initiative to put the village in a Christmas atmosphere. “We do this for the village, to show that the motorcycle club also has good sides,” says treasurer Sjoerd Paas (75) of Black Eagle. The motorcycle club also contributes to the Christmas market, the annual market and carbide shooting on New Year’s Eve.
The Christmas decorations grew over the years and this year Zwartemeer was able to register for the election of the most beautiful Christmas street in the country, from the TV program Heart of the Netherlands . This week Zwartemeer appeared to have the most votes and was in the lead.
Golden Christmas bauble for Easter
We’ll come and take a look on Saturday, I promised Heart of the Netherlands where many Zwartemeer residents already sensed victory coming and organized a small village festival. They placed a modest party tent near the richly decorated bridge on which Black Eagle’s huge trike shines. “We always use that when Sinterklaas arrives. And when people have been married for 25 or 40 or 50 years, we drive the bridal couple through the village on the trike,” says Paas.
And yes, Zwartemeer received the most votes and is the most beautiful Christmas street or most beautiful Christmas village in the country Heart of the Netherlands not complicated about it. Easter is handed a huge golden Christmas bauble, the tap is opened and the song Zwartemeer by Zwartemeerder Piet van der (Zwarte-)Meer sounds through the village center and everyone sings along, rain or no rain. A Santa Claus hands out Santa hats to the children, two men bring in a new keg of beer.
What is the value of all those Christmas lights? Paas can explain it: “We want to create a little atmosphere in the dark days before Christmas. There is already so much crap in the world. Wars, you name it. And closer: people have a short fuse.”
Two men drag in another keg of beer. The song Zwartemeer sounds again.
There is also vacancy here
Chairman Jaap Vos (71) of the motorcycle club watches the celebration and sees that it is good. “Yes, nice,” he says. “Zwartemeer is now the village of light.”
He says that’s thanks to the people who live there. “Everyone knows each other and greets each other.” He also has concerns about the village and points to the former butcher’s shop. “There is also vacancy here. Café snack bar in the Zwartemeer center is gone, café De Nachtwacht is closed.”
According to him, people still meet at the clubs: handball, football, the motorcycle club. “And there are a lot of quiet bars,” he says.
And today the Zwartemeer residents meet each other spontaneously at the bridge. Despite the autumn weather, there is something to celebrate.