Westergoa was one of the seven sealands and one of the three that now lie within the borders of today's Dutch province of Friesland . Later it was one of the three goaen of Frisia. In the Middle Ages Westergoa most probably formed the political centre of the Frisian realm .
25-548: On the eastern side Westergoa was bordered by the Middelsee , on the other side Eastergoa . On the south side it bordered with what originally was Bornegoa which was in the line with Terhernster Lake to the south of the coast, the eastern perimeter was with Doedingwerstal . All other borders were coastlines. Around 1200, Westergoa was divided into parts within the Westergoa area Franeker , Wildinge and Wymbrits , called
50-542: A Frisian municipality that fills the mouth of what once was the Middelzee. The name Middelzee is still used as a name for an administrative coalition between the so-called Middelzee municipalities of Het Bildt , Ferwerderadiel , Leeuwarderadeel , and Menameradiel . Marne (estuary) The Marneslenk (Dutch), or Marneslinke (Frisian), or Marne estuary, was a former estuary in western Friesland south of Harlingen , now reclaimed to be farmland. It formed around
75-452: A rate of 0.15 meters per century. This allowed sedimentation to catch up and fill in the estuary. Tidal inlets further to the west were blocked by sediment by 3300 years ago. However the Boorne remained open and gradually eroded further and further south and then branched west south of what is now Westergo. People started living adjacent to the channels about 600 BC. The tidal channel moved to
100-504: The Fiefdielen (Five parts). Franeker and Wildinge have probably been the original Westergo. Wymbrits was added when begin 12th century when Sudergoa was no more. Around 1500 Het Bildt , was added to Westergoa but by the establishment of Sânwâlden , Gaasterland , Doniawerstal and Lemsterland these parts in the south of Westergoa were lost. Also eight cities grew exceptionally in the Westergoa area; Harlingen and Franeker in
125-636: The Pleistocene the Boorne was a river that had a drainage basin in Friesland, Drenthe, and Groningen. It flowed from Saalien glacial till plateau in a southwest direction, and met the sea west of Het Bildt. The Boorne passed the current location of Akkrum and Rauwerd . The connection to the Wadden Sea became blocked by sand dunes in the Weichselian time period, and the mouth of the river
150-553: The 27 December the land on the new dykes was rented out at a party held at the church in Pingjum. The rest of the Marne estuary was reclaimed by the year 1200 AD. The effect on the people living there was that transport was no longer over open seawater, but instead on inland waterways. Instead of being confined to living on the artificial hills (terps), villages could be built on flat land. Dairy farming became possible. The future of
175-578: The Boorneslenk (tidal estuary). In the Holocene , sea level rose and the area became covered in sand, clay and peat. Around 3000 BC the area was a salt marsh . Around 600 BC Iron Age humans colonised the area. By 100 BC the Roman Empire occupied the area and terps at Pingjum and Witmarsum to the south, Kimswerd and Arum to the north of the estuary were established. Around this time,
200-556: The Fiefdielen part, Bolsward at the eastern side of Wildinge, now Wûnseradiel and at the southern point Workum and Hindeloopen . The rest of Wymbrits fell into three cities and six parts. Stavoren , Sneek and IJlst had become autonomous cities but six Frisian slots formed the grietenijen of Wymbritseradeel and Hemelumer Oldeferd (and Noardwâlde). Middelsee The Middelzee ( Dutch for "middle sea"; West Frisian : Middelsee ), also called Bordine ,
225-633: The Marne estuary was partly reclaimed by building a dyke out to the north of Pingjum, which was part of a dyke system totally surrounding Pingjum,. This was named Penjumer Gouden Halsbân. The dyke extended north from Govertsterp, parallel but east of De Blokken. It abutted the Griene Dyk that reached the coast at Dijksterbuorren. It then headed east until it met the Marnedijk (now called Groene Dijk) adjacent to some fields called De Wiken. The Marnedyk headed southeast (now called Schutedijk), and then cut off
250-490: The Middelzee was progressively sectioned off by building dykes across the arm, in four stages. Around 1200 AD a dyke near Rauwerd finished the closure of the arm. This turned what was a mud flat into a salt marsh, and silt gradually collected to fill the areas in. The northern section of the Middelzee, passing Leeuwarden was dyked off in the first half of the 13th century, and by 1300 it was reclaimed up to Stiens and Beetgum . The 12th century also saw land reclamation along
275-670: The Pleistocene the Marneslenk existed as a landscape low oriented to the northwest between the Harlingen High to the north east and the Texel high to the southwest. In the northwest end it broadened out between what is now Vlieland and Terschelling It connected at its southeast extremity to the north-south oriented Boorne Valley. By 11,000 years ago with low sea level Marneslenk had become a river. The Boorne valley had become
SECTION 10
#1732765524631300-463: The River Zwette (West Frisian: Swette ), that runs from Sneek to Leeuwarden , but which once reached the southern edge of Het Bildt . By the fifteenth century the Middelzee was reduced to a funnel shape along Frisia's north coast and further silting of the remaining part rendered it unusable. From the early sixteenth century the polder of Het Bildt was formed in that funnel, and is now
325-624: The arm of the Marne as it connected to the southeast shore north of Witmarsum. The remains of the Marne river to the north of this new dyke, is called the Harnzer Feart. It was crossed by the Marnedyk with a sluice gate, the Kimswerter syl. This stream was diverted north to Harlingen, and the remanent heading to the coast was called Bidlersfeart. Bidlersfeart was crossed by the Griene Dyk at a sluice gate called Bantumer syl. Each year on
350-475: The east to what would become the Middelzee. Before the year 900, the new tidal channel scoured deeper and deeper and flooding extended even further inland. After 900 the flooding reached its maximum extent, and it became known as the Middelzee. The southwestern extremity joined up with the Marne Estuary near Bolsward. At the beginning of the 10th century people became more organised and worked to prevent
375-508: The further encroachment of the Middelzee. Levees and natural marsh bars were raised along the shore north of Steins on the western coast of Oostergo. This also happened on the north west facing coast of Westergo along the Reid. During the 10th century a dyke was established along the east coast of Westergo along the coast of the Middelzee. The mother polders were established as regions of land completely encircled by dykes. The southwestern arm of
400-565: The head of the Marne was closed off at a sluice gate. Then on the south east side of the Marne, the dyke, part of the Witmarsum-Hartwerd Polder, headed northeast past Gerns, and at Witmarsum, and Aldrij a slice gate drained the polder. This side was 3 km long. At Grouwe Kat the arm connecting to the Middelzee branched off to the southeast. The northern shore of the Marne heads north west from Grouwe Kat, to Arum , and then west-northwest to Kimswerd . Around 1000 AD
425-401: The lands formerly of the Middelzee are still called it Nijlân . It can still be recognized as new land since there are only a small number of villages lying in the area of the former Middelzee. The fertile sea clay bottom is mostly used as meadow land but also Leeuwarden Air Base is situated on the new lands. The border between Eastergoa and Westergoa in the former Middelzee is now drained by
450-504: The north west shore of Oostergo, shrinking the funnel shaped part of the Middelzee. Leeuwarden and the trading terp villages along the coast of Middelzee lost their ability to trade with watercraft when they became isolated from the route to the Wadden Zee. Gradually the Middelzee silted up, forming the nije lannen ("new lands"). One village is called Nijlân , literally meaning "new land", and also there are several villages where
475-525: The south side they were starting from the Zuider Zee , the first being Sânwei (Zandweg), then Penjumer Rige (now called Riegeweg), to Mania, then Nesserleane heading east-southeast. Then heading down in the southwest direction around De Nes the dyke passed farms Middema, Aggema, where the Penjumerfeart flowed into the Marne, then on past De Kampen . 600 meters further on at Kathuzum ( Koudehuizum )
500-514: The southeast end of Marneslenk connected to the southernmost part of the Middelzee , separating an island, Westergo, from the continent. Around 300 AD there was significant sea level rise and clay was deposited on top of peat. Areas around the Vlie were flooded. Between 300 and 400 AD many settlements were abandoned. By 800 AD the coast line was somewhat similar to that today, except that Marneslenk
525-412: The world to build dykes and polders. One of the first four polders , a "mother polder" was built by enclosing an area of land with dykes. This polder was the Witmarsum-Hartwerd Polder positioned to the south east of Marneslenk, extending to the Middelzee. It left Witmarsum on the edge of the polder adjacent to the south west branch of the Marne. Dykes were built on the levees surrounding the Marne. On
SECTION 20
#1732765524631550-710: The year 300 AD, when rising sea levels also enlarged the Almere lake to the southwest, and formed the Middelzee to the east. The Marneslenk had its mouth on the Vlie and stretched southeasterly to the area of Tirns and then headed east to the Middelzee. Between 1100 and 1300 AD the watercourse was reclaimed and turned into fields by the construction of dykes. One such dyke is the Pingjumer Gulden Halsband . The Bedelaarsvaart (Bidlersfeart) and Harnzerfeartis are what remains of this watercourse nowadays. In
575-416: Was extending inland, with tidal flats and a water channel. The Middelzee had expanded and had a tidal watershed with the Marne. Between 900 and 1000 AD a salt marsh levee existed on the north side of Marneslenk. Levees formed banks around salt marshes and channels, when the highest possible tides flooded the area and deposited sediment preferentially. The region of the Marne, Westergo, was the first place in
600-534: Was forced more and more easterly, until it was heading in a north-northwest direction from Akkrum. In the Holocene, the sea rose flooding the valley to form an estuary. Before 7000 years ago, the sea was rising at a rate of 0.75 meters per century, and the rising sea was faster than the sedimentation There are still estuary sediments west of Jorwerd, that were deposited during 6400-5300 before present ( Mid-Atlantic ). After 5500 years ago, sea level rise slowed down to
625-603: Was the estuary mouth of the River Boorne (West Frisian: Boarn ) now in the Dutch province of Friesland . It ran from as far south as Sneek northward to the Wadden Sea and marked the border between main Frisian regions of Westergoa (Westergo) and Eastergoa (Oostergo). Other historical names for the Middelzee include Bordaa , Borndiep , Boerdiep , and Bordena . The names like Bordine, mean "border". Back in
#630369