Slochteren

Slochteren is a village and former municipality with a population of 15,546 in the province of Groningen in the northeast of the Netherlands. On 1 January 2018, Slochteren merged with Hoogezand-Sappemeer and Menterwolde, forming the municipality Midden-Groningen.

The former municipality can be characterized as a chain of small villages dividing a mostly agricultural landscape. Having an agricultural background for at least a thousand years, the community houses for the most part commuters to nearby towns like Hoogezand, Groningen and Delfzijl. The mansion Fraeylemaborg (a small 'castle', the oldest parts of which are dated in the Middle Ages) is located in Slochteren.

Geography
The population centres in the former municipality are:


 * Denemarken
 * Froombosch
 * Harkstede
 * Hellum
 * Kolham
 * Lageland
 * Luddeweer
 * Overschild
 * Schaaphok
 * Scharmer
 * Schildwolde
 * Siddeburen
 * Slochteren
 * Steendam
 * Tjuchem
 * Woudbloem



Topographic map of the municipality of Slochteren, June 2015

Natural gas field
Slochteren is in the center of the giant Groningen gas field, discovered in 1959, ensuring the position of the Netherlands as a major energy exporting country. The estimated gas reserves in 2009 was 2700 km3.