69-545: Leeuwarden ( Dutch: [ˈleːu.ɑrdə(n)] ; West Frisian : Ljouwert [ˈljɔu(ə)t] ; Stadsfries Dutch : Liwwadden ; Leeuwarder dialect: Leewarden ) is a city and municipality in Friesland , Netherlands , with a population of 127,073 (2023). It is the provincial capital and seat of the Provincial Council of Friesland . The region has been continuously inhabited since
138-467: A moat were built in the period 1481–1494. In 1747 William IV, Prince of Orange was the last stadtholder residing in the Stadhouderlijk Hof . In the first half of the 19th century the fortifications were demolished. From 1580 to 1752, a provincial mint operated in the city, minting gold, silver and copper coins of Friesland. The Jewish community of Leeuwarden was one of the earliest in
207-422: A Dutch newspaper. However, the same test also revealed that native Dutch speakers understood 63.9% of a spoken Frisian text, 59.4% of a spoken Afrikaans text and 89.4% of a spoken Dutch text, read aloud by native speakers of the respective languages. The saying "As milk is to cheese, are English and Fries" describes the observed similarity between Frisian and English. One rhyme that is sometimes used to demonstrate
276-523: A coalition. The municipal council of Leeuwarden has 39 seats. As provincial capital, Leeuwarden is also the seat of the King's Commissioner Arno Brok and the Provincial Council of Friesland . The city of Leeuwarden is twinned with West Frisian language West Frisian , Frisian, or English on Expert (West Frisian: Frysk [frisk] or Westerlauwersk Frysk ; Dutch : Fries [fris] , also Westerlauwers Fries ),
345-488: A corruption of luw- (Dutch for 'sheltered from the wind', cf. the maritime term leeward ) or from lee- (a Dutch word for waterway). 'Sheltered landing place or harbour' could be the original meaning. This suits the watery province of Friesland and the position of the original three villages at the end of an important estuary called Middelzee . The name is also similar to that of the French commune Lewarde , located in
414-462: A few runic inscriptions from the region which are probably older and possibly in the Frisian language. These runic writings, however, usually do not amount to more than single- or few-word inscriptions, and cannot be said to constitute literature as such. The Middle Frisian language period ( c. 1550 – c. 1820 ) is rooted in geopolitics and the consequent fairly abrupt halt in
483-454: A large flower market (held on Ascension Day ). There is also a weekly cattle market. Leeuwarden railway station (opened on 27 October 1863) is the main railway station of Leeuwarden. It is a terminus station of the NS railway line from Zwolle . Regional trains, served by Arriva , operate to Groningen in the east, Harlingen in the west and Stavoren in the southwest. The other stations in
552-457: A minority language. On 19 October 2013, a fire broke out in a clothes shop on a busy pedestrian street. The fire started late in the afternoon and burned through the night, destroying five shops and eleven flats. The only casualty was a 24-year-old man who was living in one of the flats. The birthplace of Mata Hari was at first thought to be destroyed, but survived, albeit with considerable smoke and water damage. The coat of arms of Leeuwarden
621-621: A population centre is in German sources from 1285, and records exist of city privileges granted in 1435. Situated along the Middelzee , it was an active centre of maritime trade. The waterway silted-up in the 13th century. The Grote of Jacobijnerkerk (English: Great, or Jacobin Church ) is the oldest building in the city. The 15th century was the period of the two opposing Frisian factional parties Vetkopers and Schieringers . The bastions and
690-616: A prominent grammatical feature in almost all West Frisian dialects, with the notable exception of Súdwesthoeksk . Therefore, the New Frisian period is considered to have begun at this time, around 1820. Most speakers of West Frisian live in the province of Friesland in the north of the Netherlands . Friesland has 643,000 inhabitants (2005), of whom 94% can understand spoken West Frisian, 74% can speak West Frisian, 75% can read West Frisian, and 27% can write it. For over half of
759-593: A public broadcaster with radio and TV programs mainly in Frisian. In the Netherlands, a municipality is governed by the college of mayor and aldermen and the municipal council . Sybrand van Haersma Buma of the CDA has been mayor of Leeuwarden since 26 August 2019. Since the 2014 municipal elections , the Labour Party (3 aldermen), Christian Democratic Appeal (2 aldermen), PAL GroenLinks (1 alderman) form
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#1732772020737828-472: A total population of 124,084. Museums in the city of Leeuwarden: There are over 800 Rijksmonuments (national heritage sites) in the municipality of Leeuwarden. The Oldehove , a leaning unfinished church tower, is a symbol of the city. Other well-known buildings in the city centre include the Kanselarij (former chancellery), the Stadhouderlijk Hof (former residence of the stadtholders of Friesland),
897-525: Is IJshockeyclub Capitals Leeuwarden (IJCCL). Leeuwarden is the starting and finishing point for the celebrated Elfstedentocht , a 200 km (120 mi) speed skating race over the Frisian waterways that is held when winter conditions in the province allow. As of 2018, it last took place in January 1997, preceded by the races of 1986 and 1985. In 1986, the Dutch king Willem-Alexander participated in
966-541: Is a West Germanic language spoken mostly in the province of Friesland ( Fryslân ) in the north of the Netherlands , mostly by those of Frisian ancestry . It is the most widely spoken of the Frisian languages . In the study of the evolution of English , West Frisian is notable as being the most closely related foreign tongue to the various dialects of Old English spoken across the Heptarchy , these being part of
1035-585: Is almost always just called "Frisian" (in Dutch: Fries for the Frisian language and Westfries for the Dutch dialect). The unambiguous name used for the West Frisian language by linguists in the Netherlands is Westerlauwers Fries [ˈʋɛstərˌlʌu.ərs ˈfris] (West Lauwers Frisian), the Lauwers being a border river that separates the Dutch provinces of Friesland and Groningen . In
1104-465: Is governed by the mayor Sybrand van Haersma Buma and a coalition of the Labour Party , Christian Democratic Appeal , and GreenLeft . The name "Leeuwarden" (or older variants of it) first came into use for Nijehove , the most important of the three villages (the other two being Oldehove and Hoek ) which in the early 9th century merged into Leeuwarden (Villa Lintarwrde c. 825). There
1173-430: Is much uncertainty about the origin of the city's name. Historian and archivist Wopke Eekhoff summed up a total of over 200 different spelling variants, of which Leeuwarden ( Dutch ), Liwwadden ( Stadsfries ), and Ljouwert ( West Frisian ) are still in use. The second part of the name is easily explained: Warden , West Frisian/Dutch/Low German for an artificial dwelling-hill, is a designation of terps , reflecting
1242-589: Is no difference between ei and ij , whereas in Clay Frisian, there is no difference between ei and aai . Other phonological differences include: Some lexical differences between Clay Frisian and Wood Frisian include: West Frisian uses the Latin alphabet. A, E, O and U may be accompanied by circumflex or acute accents. In alphabetical listings both I and Y are usually found between H and J. When two words differ only because one has I and
1311-512: Is not a proper Frisian") was used, according to legend, by the 16th century Frisian rebel and pirate Pier Gerlofs Donia as a shibboleth that he forced his captives to repeat to distinguish Frisians from Dutch and Low Germans . Here is a short example of the West Frisian language in comparison with English , Old English , and Dutch . Not all Frisian varieties spoken in Dutch Friesland are mutually intelligible . The varieties on
1380-580: Is seven metres high and consists of two white heads of a boy and a girl, their eyes closed and dreaming. Annual music festivals are Cityrock , Dancetour , Welcome To The Village , Into the Grave , Explore the North and Fries straatfestival . Other festivals are Noordelijk Film Festival (an event for film makers), photofestival Noorderlicht and the Media Art festival . Other events are Racing Expo and
1449-468: Is that in the Old Frisian period ( c. 1150 – c. 1550 ) grammatical cases still occurred. Some of the texts that are preserved from this period are from the 12th or 13th, but most are from the 14th and 15th centuries. Generally, these texts are restricted to legal documents. Although the earliest definite written examples of Frisian are from approximately the 9th century, there are
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#17327720207371518-570: Is the Cambuurstadion , which has a capacity of 10,500. The city's basketball team, Aris Leeuwarden , has played in the Dutch Basketball League since 2004. The Elfstedenhal is a sport venue. The stadium is used for long track speed skating , short track speed skating , ice hockey , figure skating and curling . The 400m indoor speed skating oval is named after speed skater Atje Keulen-Deelstra . The ice hockey club
1587-411: Is the official symbol of the municipality. It consists of a blue escutcheon , a golden lion , and a crown . The fact that Leeuwarden carries a lion in its seal seems logical, considering that "Leeuw" is Dutch for "Lion". However, it is very plausible the oldest name of the city conceals an indication of water rather than an animal, and some sources suggest that the lion may have only been added after
1656-556: The Cammingha-Buurstermolen were demolished in 2000. The Slauerhoffbrug is a fully automatic bascule bridge named after the poet Jan Jacob Slauerhoff . It uses two arms to swing a section of road in and out of place within the road itself. This movable bridge is also known as the 'Flying' Drawbridge. The tallest building in the city is the 114-metre (374 ft) Achmeatoren ( Achmea insurance tower), built in 2001 and designed by Abe Bonnema – who also designed
1725-578: The Academie voor Popkultuur ( Hanze University of Applied Sciences Groningen ) Technological Top Institute Wetsus does research into water-related technologies. Centre of Expertise Water Technology (CEW) is the knowledge and innovation centre for applied research and product development in the field of water technology and the Wadden Academy to study and research the Wadden Sea . Among
1794-699: The Afsluitdijk connects to Alkmaar in North Holland . The motorway A31 passes Leeuwarden and the A32 connects Leeuwarden to Meppel . The Van Harinxmakanaal is a major canal and connects Harlingen to Leeuwarden. Leeuwarden has a number of respected schools of applied science ( HBO in Dutch), (21,480 students in 2017), such as the Van Hall Instituut (agricultural and life sciences) and
1863-663: The Anglo-Frisian branch of the West Germanic family. The name "West Frisian" is only used outside the Netherlands, to distinguish this language from the closely related Frisian languages of East Frisian , including Saterland Frisian , and North Frisian spoken in Germany . Within the Netherlands, however, "West Frisian" refers to the West Frisian dialect of the Dutch language while the West Frisian language
1932-659: The NHL Stenden University of Applied Sciences (hotel management, economical and media management). In addition to higher education, the city is also home to three regional vocational schools (MBO): the Friese Poort, Friesland College, and Nordwin College. Although the city has no university of its own, several satellite campuses are located here, including Campus Fryslân ( University of Groningen ), Dairy Campus ( Wageningen University and Research ) and
2001-570: The Nord Department , an originally Flemish-speaking area annexed to France in the 17th century. Western Flemish was related to Frisian and also to Saxon up to the 11th century. The oldest remains of houses date back to the 2nd century AD in the Roman era and were discovered during an excavation near the Oldehove . Inhabited continuously since the 10th century, the city's first reference as
2070-549: The 10 largest employers in Leeuwarden are Medical Center Leeuwarden (MCL), ING , The Central Judicial Collection Agency (CJIB), Achmea , NHL Stenden University of Applied Sciences , Leeuwarden Air Base and FrieslandCampina . WTC Expo is the largest events complex in the Northern Netherlands. The city's local football team, SC Cambuur , are playing in the second tier Eerste Divisie . Their home ground
2139-402: The 10th century. It came to be known as Leeuwarden in the early 9th century AD and was granted city privileges in 1435. It is the main economic hub of Friesland, situated in a green and water-rich environment. Leeuwarden is a former royal residence and has a historic city centre, many historically relevant buildings, and a large shopping centre with squares and restaurants. Leeuwarden was awarded
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2208-489: The 11 towns, use two names (both Dutch and West Frisian) or only a West Frisian name. Within ISO 639 West Frisian falls under the codes fy and fry , which were assigned to the collective Frisian languages. The mutual intelligibility in reading between Dutch and Frisian is poor. A cloze test in 2005 revealed native Dutch speakers understood 31.9% of a West Frisian newspaper, 66.4% of an Afrikaans newspaper and 97.1% of
2277-460: The 1970s. Frisian is still spoken by some Dutch Canadians , Dutch Americans , Dutch Australians and Dutch New Zealanders . Apart from the use of West Frisian as a first language, it is also spoken as a second language by about 120,000 people in the province of Friesland. West Frisian is considered by UNESCO to be a language in danger of becoming extinct , officially listed as "vulnerable". In 1951, Frisian language activists, protesting at
2346-605: The Clay Frisian and Wood Frisian dialects are the words my ("me"), dy ("you"), hy ("he"), sy ("she" or "they"), wy ("we"), and by ("by"), which are pronounced in the Wood Frisian as mi , di , hi , si , wi , and bi and in Clay Frisian as mij , dij , hij , sij , wij , and bij . Other differences are in the pronunciation of the diphthongs ei , ai , and aai which are pronounced ij , ai , and aai in Wood Frisian, but ôi , òi , and ôi in Clay Frisian. Thus, in Wood Frisian, there
2415-502: The Dragoons and the city, by flying each other's flags every 15 April.) Kneppelfreed (English: Baton Friday ) was an incident on 16 November 1951 in front of the courthouse at Wilhelminaplein (Wilhelmina Square), when the police used batons against Frisian language activists during a protest against the exclusive use of Dutch in the courts. A committee of inquiry recommended that the Frisian language should receive legal status as
2484-548: The Eleven cities tour, with the pseudonym W.A. van Buren , which is the pseudonym of the royal family of the Netherlands. Loop Leeuwarden is an annual road running competition (5 km, 10 km and half marathon races). The race was first held in 1985 and takes place in May. It attracts amateur runners. The city of Leeuwarden has two sailing boats ( skûtsje ) racing in the yearly sailing competition Skûtsjesilen . Leeuwarden
2553-589: The Frisian landscape. In the western and north-western parts of the province, the region where Clay Frisian is spoken, the soil is made up of thick marine clay, hence the name. While in the Clay Frisian-speaking area ditches are used to separate the pastures, in the eastern part of the province, where the soil is sandy, and water sinks away much faster, rows of trees are used to that purpose. The natural landscape in which Wâldfrysk exists mirrors The Weald and North Weald areas of south-eastern England –
2622-613: The Frisian language has been lost. Old Frisian bore a striking similarity to Old English . This similarity was reinforced in the late Middle Ages by the Ingvaeonic sound shift, which affected Frisian and English, but the other West Germanic varieties hardly at all. Both English and Frisian are marked by the suppression of the Germanic nasal in a word like us ( ús ), soft ( sêft ) or goose ( goes ): see Ingvaeonic nasal spirant law . Also, when followed by some vowels
2691-414: The Frisian poet Gysbert Japiks (1603–1666), a schoolteacher and cantor from the city of Bolsward ( Boalsert ), who largely fathered modern West Frisian literature and orthography, was an exception to the rule. His example was not followed until the 19th century, when entire generations of Frisian authors and poets appeared. This coincided with the introduction of the so-called newer breaking system,
2760-501: The Germanic k developed into a ch sound. For example, the West Frisian for cheese and church is tsiis and tsjerke , whereas in Dutch they are kaas and kerk . Modern English and Frisian on the other hand have become very divergent, largely due to wholesale Norse and French imports into English and similarly heavy Dutch and Low German influences on Frisian. One major difference between Old Frisian and modern Frisian
2829-428: The Germanic words wald and weald are cognate. Although Klaaifrysk and Wâldfrysk are mutually very easily intelligible, there are, at least to native West Frisian speakers, a few very conspicuous differences. These include the pronunciation of the words my ("me"), dy ("thee"), hy ("he"), sy ("she" or "they"), wy ("we") and by ("by"), and the diphthongs ei and aai . Of
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2898-520: The Netherlands aside from Amsterdam , and was first mentioned in 1645. By 1670, the city council granted a man referred to as "Jacob the Jew" (in Dutch) permission to build a Jewish cemetery, meaning that there were enough Jews living there to require a cemetery and other communal institutions. Land for 'The Jodenkerkhof' (Jews' cemetery) was purchased in 1679, near the Oldehove tower. The first synagogue in
2967-461: The citizens of Leeuwarden demanded a tower taller than the one in the city of Groningen , the Martinitoren . In charge were Jacob van Aken (or Aaken) and, after his death, Cornelis Frederiksz. The tower's tilt began during construction. The builders tried to compensate for the tilt, but the project was stopped in 1532 (1533 according to another source). In 1595–1596, the then derelict church
3036-667: The city hall (1715), the Waag (old weigh house), the Saint Boniface church (an important part of the neogothic movement) and the Centraal Apotheek , a pharmacy in the Art Nouveau style. The Blokhuispoort is a former prison that has been transformed into a public library, hostel and restaurant. The Froskepôlemolen (built in 1896), is the last surviving windmill to have stood in Leeuwarden . The remains of
3105-478: The city was built in the 17th century, and was also used by the city's Catholics who were not allowed to build a house of worship of their own because of the Protestant city authorities. The Jewish community enjoyed generally good relations with authorities in the 18th century and continued to expand throughout the 18th and 19th centuries, reaching a peak population of 1,236 in 1860. In 1901 the city's population
3174-429: The early Middle Ages the Frisian lands stretched from the area around Bruges , in what is now Belgium , to the river Weser , in northern Germany . At that time, the Frisian language was spoken along the entire southern North Sea coast. Today this region is sometimes referred to as "Greater Frisia " or Frisia Magna , and many of the areas within it still treasure their Frisian heritage, even though in most places
3243-678: The exclusive use of Dutch in the courts, caused a riot in Leeuwarden . The resulting inquiry led to the establishment of a committee of inquiry. This committee recommended that the Frisian language should receive legal status as a minority language. Subsequently, the Use of Frisian in Legal Transactions Act of 11 May 1956 was passed, which provided for the use of Frisian in transactions with the courts. Since 1956, West Frisian has an official status along with and equal to Dutch in
3312-464: The historical situation. The first part of the name, leeuw , means lion in modern standard Dutch. This interpretation corresponds with the coat of arms adopted by the city, which features a heraldic lion . However, modern standard Dutch was not used in this region in the Middle Ages , when the city was called Lintarwrde . Some scholars argue that the name of the city is derived from leeu- ,
3381-461: The inhabitants of the province of Friesland, 55% ( c. 354,000 people ), West Frisian is the native language. In the central east, West Frisian speakers spill over the province border, with some 4,000–6,000 of them actually living in the province of Groningen , in the triangular area of the villages Marum (West Frisian: Mearum ), De Wilp ( De Wylp ), and Opende ( De Grinzer Pein ). Also, many West Frisians have left their province in
3450-466: The islands are rather divergent, and Glottolog distinguishes four languages: The dialects within mainstream mainland West Frisian are all readily intelligible. Three are usually distinguished: The Súdwesthoeksk ("South Western") dialect, which is spoken in an area called de Súdwesthoeke ("the Southwest Corner"), deviates from mainstream West Frisian in that it does not adhere to
3519-520: The last 60 years for more prosperous parts of the Netherlands. Therefore, possibly as many as 150,000 West Frisian speakers live in other Dutch provinces, particularly in the urban agglomeration in the West, and in neighbouring Groningen and newly reclaimed Flevoland . A Frisian diaspora exists abroad; Friesland sent more emigrants than any other Dutch province between the Second World War and
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#17327720207373588-428: The municipality are Leeuwarden Camminghaburen , and Grou-Jirnsum . A fourth station Leeuwarden Werpsterhoeke was planned to be opened after 2018. Near the train station is the bus station. Arriva runs several city, regional and national buses. Route 66 Leeuwarden- Holwerd connects with the ferry to Ameland , bus route 50 to Lauwersoog connects with the departures of the ferry to Schiermonnikoog and route 350 via
3657-474: The name became official. It is also possible the coat of arms was a gift to the city from the powerful Minnema family. Leeuwarden is located centrally in Friesland. The military Leeuwarden Air Base lies northwest of the city. East of the city lies recreational area and nature reserve De Groene Ster . It contains the windmill Himriksmole , a golf course and AquaZoo Friesland . On 1 January 2014 parts of
3726-788: The neighbouring Boarnsterhim municipality were added to Leeuwarden. On 1 January 2018 it was enlarged by Leeuwarderadeel and parts of former municipality of Littenseradiel . The hamlets within the municipality are: Abbenwier , Angwier , Baarderbuorren , Bartlehiem (partially), De Him , De Hoek , De Trije Romers , Domwier , Finsterbuorren , Fûns , Groote Bontekoe , Goatum , Hesens , Hoarne , Hoptille , It Hoflân , It Wiel , Marwert , Midsbuorren , Narderbuorren , Noardein , Oude Schouw (partially), Poelhuzen , Rewert (partially), Skillaerd , Skrins , Suderbuorren , Suorein , Tichelwurk , Truerd , Tsienzerbuorren , Tsjaard , Tsjeintgum , Vierhuis , Vrouwbuurtstermolen (partially), Wammert and Wieuwens As of 2020, Leeuwarden had
3795-454: The oath in Frisian in courts anywhere in the Netherlands . Primary education in Friesland was made bilingual in 1956, which means West Frisian can be used as a teaching medium. In the same year, West Frisian became an official school subject, having been introduced to primary education as an optional extra in 1937. It was not until 1980, however, that West Frisian had the status of a required subject in primary schools, and not until 1993 that it
3864-423: The other one has Y (such as stikje and stykje ), the word with I precedes the one with Y. In handwriting, IJ (used for Dutch loanwords and personal names) is written as a single letter (see IJ (digraph) ), whereas in print the string IJ is used. In alphabetical listings IJ is most commonly considered to consist of the two letters I and J, although in dictionaries there is an entry IJ between X and Z telling
3933-484: The palpable similarity between Frisian and English is "Bread, butter and green cheese is good English and good Fries", which does not sound very different from " Brea, bûter en griene tsiis is goed Ingelsk en goed Frysk ". Another rhyme on this theme, " Bûter, brea en griene tsiis; wa't dat net sizze kin is gjin oprjochte Fries " ( example ; in English, "Butter, bread and green cheese, whoever can't say that
4002-450: The province of Friesland . It is used in many domains of Frisian society, among which are education, legislation, and administration. In 2010, some sixty public transportation ticket machines in Friesland and Groningen added a West Frisian-language option. Although in the courts of law the Dutch language is still mainly used, in the province of Friesland , Frisians have the right to give evidence in their own language. Also, they can take
4071-407: The second-tallest building, Averotoren at 77 m (253 ft). On 6 September 2013 Leeuwarden was voted European Capital of Culture for the year 2018. Many events were organised throughout the year. The largest art project was the 11Fountains , fountains in the Frisian eleven cities. The Love Fountain , located in front of the train station, was designed by artist Jaume Plensa . The fountain
4140-401: The so-called newer breaking system, a prominent grammatical feature in the three other main dialects. The Noardhoeksk ("Northern") dialect, spoken in the north eastern corner of the province, does not differ much from Wood Frisian. By far the two most-widely spoken West Frisian dialects are Clay Frisian ( Klaaifrysk ) and Wood Frisian ( Wâldfrysk ). Both these names are derived from
4209-468: The title European Capital of Culture for 2018. Also, Leeuwarden has been a UNESCO City of Literature since 2019. The Elfstedentocht (Eleven Cities Tour), an ice skating tour passing the eleven cities of Friesland, starts and finishes in Leeuwarden. The following towns and villages within the municipality have populations in excess of 1,000 people: Leeuwarden, Stiens , Grou , Goutum , Wergea , Jirnsum , Reduzum , and Wirdum . The municipality
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#17327720207374278-474: The two, Wâldfrysk probably has more speakers, but because the western clay area was originally the more prosperous part of the mostly agricultural province, Klaaifrysk has had the larger influence on the West Frisian standardised language. There are few if any differences in morphology or syntax among the West Frisian dialects, all of which are easily mutually intelligible , but there are slight variances in lexicon . The largest difference between
4347-442: The use of Frisian as a written language. Until the 16th century, West Frisian was widely spoken and written, but from 1500 onwards it became an almost exclusively oral language, mainly used in rural areas. This was in part due to the occupation of its stronghold, the Dutch province of Friesland ( Fryslân ), in 1498, by Albert III, Duke of Saxony , who replaced West Frisian as the language of government with Dutch. This practice
4416-447: The user to browse back to I. Oldehove (tower) The Oldehove ( West Frisian : Aldehou [ˈɔːdəhɔu] ) is a leaning and unfinished church tower in the medieval centre of the Dutch city of Leeuwarden . Oldehove is also the name of an artificial mound ( terp ) on which in the late 9th century a (Catholic) church dedicated to Saint Vitus was built. Construction of the adjoining Late Gothic tower began in 1529, after
4485-475: Was 32,203. Leeuwarden, like the rest of the Netherlands, was occupied by German forces in 1940–1945. This ended when elements of the Royal Canadian Dragoons seized the initiative and advanced into the heavily-defended city on 15 April 1945, ignoring direct orders to wait for supporting infantry. German forces had been driven out by the end of the next day. (The anniversary is marked by both
4554-469: Was continued under the Habsburg rulers of the Netherlands ( Charles V, Holy Roman Emperor , and his son Philip II, King of Spain ). When the Netherlands became independent in 1585 , West Frisian did not regain its former status, because Holland rose as the dominant part of the Netherlands and its language, Dutch, as the dominant language in judicial, administrative and religious affairs. In this period
4623-407: Was demolished, but the tower remains. It consists mostly of brick, but the builders also used so-called Bentheim sandstone . There are two bells . A bell cast in 1633 by Hans Falck and a bell cast in 1637 by Jacob Noteman, weight 2,100 kg (4,630 lb). It is listed as a Rijksmonument , number 24331. The height of the tower is 39 metres (127.95 feet). The tower has 183 steps. The top of
4692-511: Was given the same position in secondary education. In 1997, the province of Friesland officially changed its name from the Dutch form Friesland to the West Frisian Fryslân . So far 4 out of 18 municipalities ( Dantumadiel , De Fryske Marren , Noardeast-Fryslân , Súdwest-Fryslân ) have changed their official geographical names from Dutch to West Frisian. Some other municipalities, like Heerenveen and
4761-545: Was to be the host of the World Flying Disc Federation 2020 World Ultimate and Guts Championships from the 11th to the 18th of July. The event was expected to have over 2500 athletes from 40 countries. The event was cancelled ( COVID-19 pandemic ). The Leeuwarder Courant and Friesch Dagblad are daily newspapers mainly written in Dutch (published by the NDC Mediagroep ). Omrop Fryslân is
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