De Fryske Marren ( nl, De Friese Meren) is a

municipality A municipality is usually a single administrative division having corporate status and powers of self-government or jurisdiction as granted by national and regional laws to which it is subordinate. The term ''municipality'' may also mean the go ...

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 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 was established 1 January 2014 and consists of the former municipalities of

Gaasterlân-Sleat Gaasterlân-Sleat is a former Municipalities of the Netherlands, municipality in the northern Netherlands. Its official name is in West Frisian language, West Frisian, the Dutch language, Dutch name being Gaasterland-Sloten (). In 2014 it merged w ...

Lemsterland Lemsterland (; fy, Lemsterlân) is a former municipality in the northern Netherlands. In 2014 it merged with the municipalities of Skarsterlân and Gaasterlân-Sleat to form the new municipality De Fryske Marren De Fryske Marren ( nl, De Friese ...

Skarsterlân Skarsterlân (; nl, Scharsterland ) is a former municipality in the province of Friesland in the Netherlands. The municipality was created 1 January 1984 by merging the municipalities of Doniawerstal and Haskerland, the part of Utingeradeel con ...

and parts of

Boarnsterhim Boarnsterhim (; nl, Boornsterhem ) was a municipality in the northern Netherlands. On 1 January 2014, the municipality was dissolved and its territory was split between four other municipalities: De Friese Meren, which was established that day, L ...

, all four of which were dissolved on the same day. The municipality is located in the province of

, in the north of the

, and has a population of and a combined area of .

History

Municipal mergers are commonplace in the

: over the course of the 20th century the number of municipalities was reduced by more than half, from 1,121 in 1900 to 537 in 2000. Several of the municipalities that were amalgamated into De Fryske Marren were themselves the result of mergers as well:

and

were created during a series of mergers that took effect 1 January 1984. Government policy at the time of the creation of De Fryske Marren was that new mergers should have local support and be initiated by the effected municipalities themselves. The municipalities of Gaasterlân-Sleat, Lemsterland and Skarsterlân were all rural municipalities with a relatively highly developed tourism industry. In 2007 the first two evaluated their functioning as municipalities and both concluded they could benefit from a municipal merger. The following year all three municipal councils decided they were in favour of investigating the benefits of a merger. The report from this study was publicly available for eight weeks and resulted in two negative replies. One of these was from the municipality of

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). ...

, which suggested a merger between them and Lemsterland and Skarsterlân or, alternatively, only parts of Skarsterlân. The province of

, home to these municipalities, rejected these options, although the final draft of the merger proposal specified that two towns from Skarsterlân, Nieuwebrug and

Haskerdijken Haskerdijken ( fry, Haskerdiken) is a village in Heerenveen in the province of Friesland, the Netherlands. It had a population of around 395 in January 2017. A second merging discussion involved the dissolution of

. The municipal council of Boarnsterhim concluded the municipality was too small to warrant the continued existence of a separate municipality. In the final advice regarding its dissolution it was suggested that the current municipality be split into four parts; one of these, the town of

Terherne Terherne ( nl, Terhorne) is a village in De Fryske Marren in the province of Friesland, the Netherlands. it had a population of around 780 in 2017. History The village was first mentioned in 1491 as ter Herna, and means "near the corner". In 1840, ...

, would be included in De Fryske Marren. The other three parts were divided among three preexisting municipalities: The northern part, including the actual town of Boarnsterhim, was assigned to

Leeuwarden Leeuwarden (; fy, Ljouwert, longname=yes /; Town Frisian: ''Liwwadden''; Leeuwarder dialect: ''Leewarden'') is a city and municipality in Friesland, Netherlands, with a population of 123,107 (2019). It is the provincial capital and seat of the ...

, the southern part to Heerenveen and the western part to

Súdwest-Fryslân Southwest Friesland ( fy, Súdwest-Fryslân ) is a municipality in the Northern Netherlands, located in the province of Friesland. It had a population of 84,092 in August 2017. Sneek is the municipal seat. With a total area of 841.56 km2, Sú ...

. After approval by both the

House of Representatives House of Representatives is the name of legislative bodies in many countries and sub-national entitles. In many countries, the House of Representatives is the lower house of a bicameral legislature, with the corresponding upper house often c ...

and the

Senate A senate is a deliberative assembly, often the upper house or chamber of a bicameral legislature. The name comes from the ancient Roman Senate (Latin: ''Senatus''), so-called as an assembly of the senior (Latin: ''senex'' meaning "the el ...

, the creation of De Fryske Marren (at that time called De Friese Meren) became law in June 2013 and took effect 1 January 2014.

Etymology

''De Friese Meren'' was the original name specified for the municipality in the law that established it. This was the same name that had been proposed for the municipality since the initial plans of its conception were tabled by the predecessor municipalities of Gaasterlân-Sleat, Lemsterland and Skarsterlân. The name is

Dutch 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 E ...

for "The Frisian Lakes", in reference to the lakes in the area. By law, any municipality in the

can change its name with at least a one-year notice. As the municipality already hinted at this possibility on its website, it officially changed its name to the West Frisian translation ''De Fryske Marren'' on 1 July 2015.

Population centres

The municipality consists of 51 settlements of which

Joure Joure (; 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. Residents of Joure a ...

is the seat of government. The 51 cities, towns and villages are:

Akmarijp Akmarijp ( West Frisian: ''Eagmaryp'') is a village in the Dutch province of Friesland. It is in the municipality De Fryske Marren, about 5 km north of the town of Joure. Akmarijp has about 110 inhabitants (2017). History The village was fir ...

, Bakhuizen,

Balk In baseball, a pitcher can commit a number of illegal motions or actions that constitute a balk. Most of these violations involve pitchers pretending to pitch when they have no intention of doing so. In games played under the Official Baseball Ru ...

, Bantega, Boornzwaag, Broek, Delfstrahuizen, Dijken, Doniaga, Echten, Echtenerbrug, Eesterga,

Elahuizen Ealahuizen ( fry, Elahuzen) is a small village in De Fryske Marren municipality in the province of Friesland, the Netherlands ) , anthem = ( en, "William of Nassau") , image_map = , map_caption = , subdivision_type = Sovereign state , ...

, Follega, Goingarijp, Harich,

Haskerhorne Haskerhorne ( fry, Haskerhoarne) is a village in De Fryske Marren municipality in the province of Friesland, the Netherlands. It had a population of around 565 in 2017. History The village was first mentioned in 1333 as in Hascherahorna, and mea ...

, Idskenhuizen,

, Kolderwolde,

Langweer Langweer ( fry, Langwar) is a village in Friesland in the municipality De Fryske Marren. The town was established in 1256, and has a population of 1,105 (as of 2017). Langweer has a rich trading history, and it is located at a small lake (). His ...

, Legemeer,

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 ...

, Mirns,

Nijehaske Nijehaske is a village in De Fryske Marren municipality, west of Heerenveen in the province of Friesland, the Netherlands. It had a population of around 55 in 2017. In 1934, most of Nijehaske was transferred to Heerenveen and has become a neighbour ...

Nijemirdum Nijemirdum ( fry, Nijemardum) is a village in De Fryske Marren municipality in the province of Friesland, the Netherlands, with a population of around 555 as of 2004. There is a windmill in the village: 't Zwaantje, which is a monument. History ...

, Oldeouwer, Oosterzee, Oudega,

Oudehaske Oudehaske ( fry, Aldehaske) is a village in De Fryske Marren in the province of Friesland, the Netherlands. It had a population of around 1980 in 2017. History The village was first mentioned in 1315 as Hasca. Haske is probably a type of grass. O ...

, Oudemirdum, Ouwster-Nijega, Ouwsterhaule,

Rijs Rijs ( fry, Riis) is a village within the municipality of De Fryske Marren in the province of Friesland, the Netherlands. Rijs is situated on the road between Oudemirdum and Hemelum. It has approximately 170 citizens (2017). Rijs is best known ...

, Rohel, Rotstergaast, Rotsterhaule, Rottum, Ruigahuizen, Scharsterbrug, Sint Nicolaasga, Sintjohannesga, Sloten, Snikzwaag,

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 ...

, Terkaple, Teroele, Tjerkgaast,

Vegelinsoord Vegelinsoord ( fry, Vegelinsoard) is a village in De Fryske Marren municipality in the province of Friesland, the Netherlands. It had a population of around 390 in 2017. There is a windmill in the village, De Deels. History The village was first ...

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 ...

Topography

''Dutch topographic map of the municipality of De Fryske Marren, June 2015''

Notable people

The Arts

Jancko Douwama Jancko Douwama was a Frisian nobleman who fought to free Friesland from foreign rule during the Vetkopers and Schieringers conflict, the Saxon feud and the Guelders Wars. Biography He was born around 1482 into a Vetkoper 'hoofdelingen' or 'unt ...

(1492 in Oldeboorn - 1533) a Frisian nobleman, fought to free Friesland from foreign rule *

Martinus Hamconius Maarten Hamckema ( in Follega – 1620), sometimes anglicized as Marten Hamkes and mainly known by his pen name Martinus Hamconius, was a Frisian writer, poet and historian best known for his apocryphal history History (derived ) is the ...

(c.1550 in Follega – 1620) a Frisian writer, poet and historian * The three

Brothers Halbertsma The Brothers Halbertsma were three brothers born in the Frisian village of Grou towards the end of the 18th century, who played a role of crucial importance for the development of a written literature in the Western Frisian language.Breuker, ...

(c.1780 in Grou – c.1860) developed the written literature in the Western Frisian language * Herman van Ham (1931 in Nijehaske – 2012) a Dutch head chef *

Pieter Verhoeff Pieter Verhoeff (4 February 1938 – 17 April 2019) was a Dutch film director. He studied at the Netherlands Film and Television Academy and graduated in 1966. He is known for his films '' The Mark of the Beast'', '' The Dream'' and '' The Movin ...

(1938 in Lemmer – 2019) a Dutch film director IMDb Database
retrieved 06 July 2019 * Marjan Jonkman (born 1994 in Sint Nicolaasga) a Dutch fashion model

Public thinking & Public Service

* Johannes Acronius Frisius (1520 in Akkrum – 1564) a Dutch doctor, mathematician who wrote Latin poetry and humanist tracts * Henricus Aeneae (1743 in Oudemirdum – 1810) a Dutch scientist * Hendrik van Rijgersma (born 1835 in Lemmer - 1877) naturalist, physician, amateur botanist,

malacologist Malacology is the branch of invertebrate zoology that deals with the study of the Mollusca (mollusks or molluscs), the second-largest phylum of animals in terms of described species after the arthropods. Mollusks include snails and slugs, clams, ...

and

ichthyologist Ichthyology is the branch of zoology devoted to the study of fish, including bony fish ( Osteichthyes), cartilaginous fish (Chondrichthyes), and jawless fish (Agnatha). According to FishBase, 33,400 species of fish had been described as of Octobe ...

Martijn Theodoor Houtsma Martijn Theodoor Houtsma (15 January 1851, in Irnsum, Friesland – 9 February 1943, in Utrecht), often referred to as M. Th. Houtsma, was a Dutch orientalist and professor at the University of Utrecht. He was a fellow of the Royal Netherlands Ac ...

(1851 in Irnsum – 1943) an orientalist, expert on the

Seljuq dynasty The Seljuk dynasty, or Seljukids ( ; fa, سلجوقیان ''Saljuqian'', alternatively spelled as Seljuqs or Saljuqs), also known as Seljuk Turks, Seljuk Turkomans "The defeat in August 1071 of the Byzantine emperor Romanos Diogenes by the Turk ...

Fedde Schurer Fedde Schurer (; ) ( Drachten, 25 July 1898 – Heerenveen, 19 March 1968) was a Dutch schoolteacher, journalist, language activist and politician,Klaes Dykstra and Bouke Oldenhof, ''Lyts Hânboek fan de Fryske Literatuer'', Leeuwarden (Afûk), 1 ...

(1898 in Drachten – 1968) a Dutch schoolteacher, journalist,

West Frisian language West Frisian, or simply Frisian ( fy, link=no, Frysk or ; nl, Fries , also ), is a West Germanic language spoken mostly in the province of Friesland () in the north of the Netherlands, mostly by those of Frisian ancestry. It is the most wid ...

activist and politician * Heije Schaper (1906 in Joure – 1996) a highly decorated Dutch naval and air force officer *

Jan Pen Jan Pen (15 February 1921 in Lemmer – 14 February 2010 in Haren, Groningen, Haren) was a Dutch economist, professor and columnist. He is author of several books on economics. Life and work Pen studied at the University of Amsterdam, where in 19 ...

(1921 in Lemmer – 2010) a Dutch economist, professor and columnist * Frans Haarsma (1921 in Balk - 2009) a Roman Catholic priest of the Archdiocese of Utrecht * Ahmed Dede (born 1960 in Balk) an Islamic sheikh and follower of the

Sufi Sufism ( ar, ''aṣ-ṣūfiyya''), also known as Tasawwuf ( ''at-taṣawwuf''), is a mystic body of religious practice, found mainly within Sunni Islam but also within Shia Islam, which is characterized by a focus on Islamic spirituality, ...

order of Islam *

Auke Zijlstra Auke Zijlstra (born 1 November 1964) is a Dutch politician. He served as a member of the European Parliament (MEP) for the Party for Freedom from 13 September 2011 to 1 July 2014 and once more from 7 September 2015 until 2 July 2019. Early life ...

(born 1964 in Joure) a Dutch politician and

member of the European Parliament A Member of the European Parliament (MEP) is a person who has been elected to serve as a popular representative in the European Parliament. When the European Parliament (then known as the Common Assembly of the ECSC) first met in 1952, its ...

Sport

* Roelof Klein (1877 in Lemmer – 1960) Dutch rower, bronze medallist at the

1900 Summer Olympics The 1900 Summer Olympics (french: Jeux olympiques d'été de 1900, link=no), today officially known as the Games of the II Olympiad () and also known as Paris 1900, were an international multi-sport event that took place in Paris, France, from 1 ...

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 in Balk – 1931) a fencer and pentathlete competing at the

1912 Summer Olympics The 1912 Summer Olympics ( sv, Olympiska sommarspelen 1912), officially known as the Games of the V Olympiad ( sv, Den V olympiadens spel) and commonly known as Stockholm 1912, were an international multi-sport event held in Stockholm, Sweden, be ...

* Atje Keulen-Deelstra (1938 in Grou – 2013) speed skater, silver and bronze medallist at the

1972 Winter Olympics The 1972 Winter Olympics, officially the and commonly known as Sapporo 1972 ( ja, 札幌1972), was a winter multi-sport event held from February 3 to 13, 1972, in Sapporo, Japan. It was the first Winter Olympic Games to take place outside Europe ...

Sjoukje Dijkstra Sjoukje Rosalinde Dijkstra (, born 28 January 1942) is a Dutch former competitive figure skater. She is the 1964 Olympic champion in ladies' singles, the 1960 Olympic silver medalist, a three-time World champion (1962–1964), five-time Europe ...

(born 1942 in Akkrum) former competitive figure skater, the 1964 Olympic champion in ladies' singles, the 1960 Olympic silver medalist *

Tiemen Groen Tiemen Groen (6 July 1946 – 26 October 2021) was a Dutch cyclist who won four consecutive world titles in the 4 km individual pursuit in 1964–1967; His sporting career began with DTS Zaandam. He finished fourth in this event at the 19 ...

(born 1946 in Follega) retired Dutch cyclist, competed in the

1964 Summer Olympics The , officially the and commonly known as Tokyo 1964 ( ja, 東京1964), were an international multi-sport event held from 10 to 24 October 1964 in Tokyo, Japan. Tokyo had been awarded the organization of the 1940 Summer Olympics, but this ho ...

Rintje Ritsma Robert Rintje Ritsma (born 13 April 1970) is a Dutch former long track speed skater. His nickname is the ''Beer van Lemmer'', which translates to the Bear from Lemmer, analogous to Igor Zhelezovski's nickname "The Bear from Minsk", both of which ...

(born 1970 in Lemmer) former Dutch long track speed skater, participated in five Winter Olympics, winning two silver and four bronze medals *

Ids Postma Ids Hylke Postma (born 28 December 1973) is a Dutch former speed skater. He is an Olympic gold medalist and former world champion. In 1993 Postma finished 2nd at the Speedskating World Championships for Juniors. In his first year as senior skate ...

(born 1973 in Dearsum) former speed skater, gold medalist at the

1998 Winter Olympics The 1998 Winter Olympics, officially known as the and commonly known as Nagano 1998 ( ja, 長野1998), was a winter multi-sport event held from 7 to 22 February 1998, mainly in Nagano, Japan, with some events taking place in the ...

Jorrit Bergsma Jacob Jorrit Bergsma (; born 1 February 1986) is a Dutch speed skater and marathon skater. At the 2014 Winter Olympics, he won the gold medal in the 10,000 m. His coach is Jillert Anema. Biography Bergsma has been skating for the BAM team si ...

(born 1986 in Oldeboorn) speed skater and marathon skater, gold medallist at the

2014 Winter Olympics , ''Zharkie. Zimnie. Tvoi'') , nations = 88 , events = 98 in 7 sports (15 disciplines) , athletes = 2,873 , opening = 7 February 2014 , closing = 23 February 2014 , opened_by = President Vladimir Putin , cauldron = , stadium = Fisht Olympic ...

Epke Zonderland Epke Jan Zonderland (born 16 April 1986) is a Dutch artistic gymnast and the 2012 Olympic gold medallist on high bar. He is a 4-time Olympian (2008–20) and has also taken 3 World Championships golds on high bar at the 2013, 2014 and 2018 W ...

(born 1986 in Lemmer) gymnast and 2012 Olympics gold medalist on the high bar *

Marit Bouwmeester Marit Bouwmeester (; born 17 June 1988 Wartena) is a sailor from the Netherlands. Bouwmeester won the gold medal in the Laser Radial class in the 2016 Summer Olympics in Rio de Janeiro, and the silver medal at the 2012 Summer Olympics in W ...

(born 1988 in Warten) sailor, gold medallist in the

2016 Summer Olympics The 2016 Summer Olympics ( pt, Jogos Olímpicos de Verão de 2016), officially the Games of the XXXI Olympiad ( pt, Jogos da XXXI Olimpíada) and also known as Rio 2016, was an international multi-sport event held from 5 to 21 August 20 ...

and silver medallist at the

2012 Summer Olympics The 2012 Summer Olympics (officially the Games of the XXX Olympiad and also known as London 2012) was an international multi-sport event held from 27 July to 12 August 2012 in London, England, United Kingdom. The first event, the ...

Sjinkie Knegt Sjinkie Knegt (; born 5 July 1989) is a Dutch short track speed skater. Career He competed for the Netherlands at the 2010 Winter Olympics in the men's 500 m, 1000 m, and 1500m. At the January 2014 European Short Track Speed Skating Champions ...

(born 1989 in Bantega) Dutch short track speed skater, bronze medallist in the

and silver medallist in the

2018 Winter Olympics , nations = 93 , athletes = 2,922 (1,680 men and 1,242 women) , events = 102 in 7 sports (15 disciplines) , opening = , closing = , opened_by = President Moon Jae-in , cauldron = Kim Yun-a , stadium = Pyeongchang Olympic Stadium , winte ...

References

External links

* * {{Authority control Municipalities of Friesland Municipalities of the Netherlands established in 2014