It is located in the municipality of Noordenveld, about 16 km (10 miles) southwest of Groningen.

The village was first mentioned in 1139 as Rothen, and means "settlement near a clearing in the forest".

[4] The Dutch Reformed church has three aisles and dates from the 13th century.

The church was restored several times during the Dutch Revolt due to war damage.

[6] An Ot en Sien statue, the main characters from a famous Dutch children's book, has been placed on the village square.