Beetsterzwaag ( fry, Beetstersweach) is a

village A village is a clustered human settlement or community, larger than a hamlet but smaller than a town (although the word is often used to describe both hamlets and smaller towns), with a population typically ranging from a few hundred to ...

in the municipality of

Opsterland Opsterland (; fry, Opsterlân) is a municipality in the province of Friesland in the Netherlands. Population centres Drachten-Azeven is an industrial zone of Drachten located in Opsterland. Hamlets The hamlets within the municipality are: Al ...

in the east of

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 ...

in the

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 had a population of around 3,485 in January 2017. Beetsterzwaag is known for its estates and manor houses.

History

The village was first mentioned in 1315 as Suagh, and means "pasture with cattle belonging to ". Beetsterzwaag developed on a sandy ridge from Oud Beets. In 1684, the village already contained four manor houses, and in the 19th century was described as "a kilometre of noble houses surrounded by parks and forests". The Dutch Reformed church was built between 1803 and 1804 and was enlarged in the 20th century. Harinxma State was built in 1841 by ''

grietman A grietman (from Old Frisian ''greta'' to accuse, to summon) is partly a forerunner of the current rural mayor in the province of Friesland, and partly the forerunner of a judge. The area of jurisdiction was the municipality or gemeente. In the j ...

'' (mayor) van Harinxma thoe Slooten. It has a large park dating from 1845. It was modernised and extended in 1931. Lauswolt was bought in 1826 and turned into a manor house in 1868. It was enlarged many times, and in 1954 was transformed into a five-star hotel. The restaurant had a

Michelin Star The Michelin Guides ( ) are a series of guide books that have been published by the French tyre company Michelin since 1900. The Guide awards up to three Michelin stars for excellence to a select few establishments. The acquisition or loss of a ...

between 2001 and 2006, and regained its star in 2020. Beetsterzwaag was home to 748 in 1840. After World War II, Beetsterzwaag developed into a

suburb A suburb (more broadly suburban area) is an area within a metropolitan area, which may include commercial and mixed-use, that is primarily a residential area. A suburb can exist either as part of a larger city/urban area or as a separate ...

Drachten Drachten () is a town in the northern Netherlands. It is located in the municipality of Smallingerland, Friesland. It had a population of around 45,186 in January 2017 and is the second largest town in the province of Friesland. History Begin ...

Notable people

Its most famous inhabitant was the Dutch actor

Rutger Hauer Rutger Oelsen Hauer (; 23 January 1944 – 19 July 2019) was a Dutch actor. In 1999, he was named by the Dutch public as the Best Dutch Actor of the Century. Hauer's career began in 1969 with the title role in the Dutch television series ' ...

, who died at his home in the village on 19 July 2019. The Dutch poet J. Slauerhoff lived there, who in May–July 1929 ran the practice of the local doctor, a temporary profession eternalized in a poem by

J.C. Bloem Jakobus Cornelis (Jacques) Bloem (10 May 1887, Oudshoorn – 10 August 1966, Kalenberg) was a Dutch poet and essayist. Between 1921 and 1958 he published fourteen volumes of poetry. In 1949 he won the Constantijn Huygensprijs, one of the countr ...

printed in the national paper '. Beetsterzwaag is also the birthplace of

Hilbert van der Duim Hilbert van der Duim (born 4 August 1957) is a Dutch former speed skater. A two-time world and European champion, Van der Duim "won often but also fell often", and has become famous for some of the incidents that happened to him during his care ...

, a speed skater active in the 1980s; Van der Duim was twice all-around World Champion, twice all-around European champion, and seven times Dutch champion.

Gallery

File:Beetsterzwaag 015.JPG, Street view File:Beetsterzwaag 011.JPG, Bakery in Beetsterzwaag File:9244 Beetsterzwaag, Netherlands - panoramio.jpg, Nature near Beetsterzwaag File:Beetstersweach, Lauswold (2022).jpg, Hotel Lauswolt

References

External links

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Beetsterzwaag
{{Authority control Populated places in Friesland Geography of Opsterland