Balk is a town in the northern

Netherlands ) , anthem = ( en, "William of Nassau") , image_map = , map_caption = , subdivision_type = Sovereign state , subdivision_name = Kingdom of the Netherlands , established_title = Before independence , established_date = Spanish Netherl ...

. It is a village of the municipality

De Fryske Marren De Fryske Marren ( nl, De Friese Meren) is a municipality of Friesland in the northern Netherlands. It was established 1 January 2014 and consists of the former municipalities of Gaasterlân-Sleat, Lemsterland, Skarsterlân and parts of Boarnsterh ...

, province

Friesland Friesland (, ; official fry, Fryslân ), historically and traditionally known as Frisia, is a province of the Netherlands located in the country's northern part. It is situated west of Groningen, northwest of Drenthe and Overijssel, north of ...

, and is located about 17 km southwest of

Sneek Sneek (; fy, Snits) is a city southwest of Leeuwarden and the seat of the former municipality of Sneek in the province of Friesland, Netherlands. As of 2011 it is the seat of the municipality of Súdwest-Fryslân (Southwest Friesland). Th ...

. In 2017 Balk had 4,090 inhabitants.Kerncijfers wijken en buurten 2017
- CBS

Geography

Balk lies between Harich and

Wijckel Wijckel ( fry, Wikel) is a village in De Fryske Marren municipality in the province of Friesland, the Netherlands. It had a population of around 645 in 2017. History The village was first mentioned in the 13th century Wicle. The etymology is uncle ...

. The Luts river flows through the village. It is said that it arose where a

beam Beam may refer to: Streams of particles or energy *Light beam, or beam of light, a directional projection of light energy **Laser beam *Particle beam, a stream of charged or neutral particles **Charged particle beam, a spatially localized grou ...

was over the river, that is why the village is called Balk because it means ''beam'' in Frisian and Dutch. Balk 06

History

At first Balk was a part of Harich. In 1585

Spanish Spanish might refer to: * Items from or related to Spain: **Spaniards are a nation and ethnic group indigenous to Spain **Spanish language, spoken in Spain and many Latin American countries **Spanish cuisine Other places * Spanish, Ontario, Cana ...

soldiers from

Groningen Groningen (; gos, Grunn or ) is the capital city and main municipality of Groningen province in the Netherlands. The ''capital of the north'', Groningen is the largest place as well as the economic and cultural centre of the northern part of t ...

plundered Balk. In the 18th century Balk became wealthy due to the butter trade and in the 19th century it had become a village of its own.

Religion

Balk had various faith communities from in the beginning. One of them was the community of the

Mennonites Mennonites are groups of Anabaptist Christian church communities of denominations. The name is derived from the founder of the movement, Menno Simons (1496–1561) of Friesland. Through his writings about Reformed Christianity during the Radic ...

who were very strict in their beliefs. In the middle of the 19th century a big group emigrated to America to settle themselves there near Goshen,

Indiana Indiana () is a U.S. state in the Midwestern United States. It is the 38th-largest by area and the 17th-most populous of the 50 States. Its capital and largest city is Indianapolis. Indiana was admitted to the United States as the 19th s ...

The biggest faith community in Balk is the one of the

protestantism Protestantism is a branch of Christianity that follows the theological tenets of the Protestant Reformation, a movement that began seeking to reform the Catholic Church from within in the 16th century against what its followers perceived to b ...

. The protestant community has about 1800 members and has two churches; a monumental church at the Luts and since 1982 a new church. In the village there is also a catholic parish with a church devoted to Sint Ludgerus.

Culture

The village and the river are said to have inspired the poet

Herman Gorter Herman Gorter (26 November 1864, Wormerveer – 15 September 1927, Saint-Josse-ten-Noode, Brussels) was a Dutch poet and socialist. He was a leading member of the Tachtigers, a highly influential group of Dutch writers who worked together in Am ...

to his famous poem '

Mei Mei may refer to: Names * Mei (surname), a Chinese, Italian, Russian or Estonian family name * Mei (given name), a given name Places * Mei County, Guangdong, China, a county * Mei Pass, Guangdong, a strategic mountain pass * Mei River, Guangdong ...

' in which Gorter does not speak of a village and a river but of a small city and a canal: ''Een nieuwe lente en een nieuw geluid''
''Ik wil dat dit lied klinkt als het gefluit''
''Dat ik vaak hoorde voor een zomernacht''
''In een oud stadje, langs de watergracht.'' As a memorial there is a statue of the poet. Balk further has a historical centre with a

town hall In local government, a city hall, town hall, civic centre (in the UK or Australia), guildhall, or a municipal building (in the Philippines), is the chief administrative building of a city, town, or other municipality. It usually houses ...

from 1615. In Balk and its surroundings there is a newspaper: the ''Balkster Courant'' Balk has 33 national monuments (

Rijksmonument A rijksmonument (, ) is a national heritage site of the Netherlands, listed by the agency Rijksdienst voor het Cultureel Erfgoed (RCE) acting for the Dutch Ministry of Education, Culture and Science. At the end of February 2015, the Netherlands ...

Water sports

Balk is a centre of

water sports Water (chemical formula ) is an inorganic, transparent, tasteless, odorless, and nearly colorless chemical substance, which is the main constituent of Earth's hydrosphere and the fluids of all known living organisms (in which it acts as a s ...

. To the Luts there is sailing school ''de Ulepanne'', multiple winner of the

dutch sailing schools championships Dutch commonly refers to: * Something of, from, or related to the Netherlands * Dutch people () * Dutch language () Dutch may also refer to: Places * Dutch, West Virginia, a community in the United States * Pennsylvania Dutch Country People ...

. On the edge of the Sleatermar there is a big yacht harbor. For cyclists and sailors there is a traditional

skûtsje A skûtsje (pronounced 'skootshuh') is a Frisian sailing boat of the type tjalk or Dutch barge, originally an ordinary cargo boat, but today a prized ship and one of the icons of Frisia. Skûtsjes were built from the 18th century until about 193 ...

as a sailing ferry between

Heeg Heeg ( fry, Heech) is a village in Súdwest Fryslân municipality in the province Friesland of the Netherlands and had a population of around 2,175 in January 2017.Arriva Arriva plc is a British multinational public transport company headquartered in Sunderland, England.Heerenveen Heerenveen (, fry, It Hearrenfean ) is a town and municipality in the province of Friesland (Fryslân), in the Northern Netherlands. In 2021, the town had a population of 29,790 (1 January) while the municipality had a population 50,859 (1 July). ...

•

Joure Joure (; West Frisian language, West Frisian: ''De Jouwer'') is a town in the north of the Netherlands. It is the administrative center of De Fryske Marren, Friesland. With 13,090 inhabitants, it is also the most populous town in the municipality. ...

• Scharsterbrug • Sint Nicolaasga • Spannenburg • Tjerkgaast • Sloten •

• Balk *Line 44:

Lemmer Lemmer () is a town in the municipality of De Fryske Marren, in the Dutch province of Friesland. Lemmer lies adjacent to the IJsselmeer and the Frisian Lakes and is one of Friesland's best-known surface water sports locations. Lemmer is a bustlin ...

Sondel Sondel is a village in De Fryske Marren municipality in the province of Friesland, the Netherlands. It had a population of around 410 in 2017. History The village was first mentioned in 1422 Syndele. The etymologie is not clear. Sondel developed o ...

- Balk -

Hemelum Hemelum ( fry, Himmelum) is a village in Súdwest Fryslân municipality, in the province Friesland of the Netherlands. It had a population of around 610 in January 2017.Koudum Koudum is a village in the northern Netherlands. It is located in Súdwest-Fryslân, Friesland. Nearby villages include Molkwerum to the west, Workum to the north and Hemelum to the south. The population of Koudum was 2,700 in 2019. The nearest t ...

Workum Workum () is a city located in the municipality of Súdwest-Fryslân in Friesland, Netherlands. It received city rights in 1399 and is one of the eleven cities of Friesland. It had a population of 4,435 in January 2017.Parrega Parrega ( fry, Parregea) is a village in the municipality Súdwest-Fryslân in the province of Friesland, the Netherlands. It had a population of around 490 in January 2017.Tjerkwerd Tjerkwerd ( fry, Tsjerkwert) is a village in Súdwest-Fryslân municipality in the province Friesland of the Netherlands. It had a population of 455 in January 2017. There is a windmill in the village, De Babuurstermolen. History The village w ...

Bolsward Bolsward (, West Frisian: ''Boalsert'') is a city in Súdwest-Fryslân in the province of Friesland, the Netherlands. Bolsward has a population of just under 10,200. It is located 10 km W.N.W. of Sneek. History The town is founded on thr ...

*Line 47:

Hommerts Hommerts ( fry, De Hommerts) is a small village in Súdwest-Fryslân in the province of Friesland, the Netherlands. It had a population of around 650 in January 2017. It forms, together with Jutrijp, the double village De Hommerts-Jutryp. Histor ...

Woudsend Woudsend ( fry, Wâldsein) is a village in Súdwest-Fryslân in the province of Friesland, the Netherlands. It had a population of around 1,380 in January 2017. There are two windmills in the village, 't Lam and De Jager. History The village was ...

- Balk -

Born

Jetze Doorman Jetze Doorman (2 July 1881 – 28 February 1931) was a Dutch fencer. He won four Olympic bronze medals. He also competed in the modern pentathlon at the 1912 Summer Olympics. Doorman won the European Champion in Paris Paris () is th ...

(1881−1931), fencer * Frans Haarsma (1921−2009), priest * (1905−1972), mayor

References

External links

{{Authority control De Fryske Marren Populated places in Friesland