Harkema ( fry, De Harkema) is a village in the municipality of

Achtkarspelen Achtkarspelen () is a municipality in Friesland in the northern Netherlands. History The name ''Achtkarspelen'', literally meaning "eight parishes", is derived from the original eight parishes within the ''grietenij'', namely: Augustinusga, Buite ...

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 ...

province, 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 ...

. Harkema is in the eastern part of Friesland, 9 km north of

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 ...

. It was used to be known as ''Harkema-Opeinde'' and as of January 2017, the village had a population of 4,295.

History

The village was first mentioned in 1530 as Opeyndt. The name Harkema means "settlement of the descendants of Buwe Harkema. In 1972, the name was officially changed from Opeinde to Harkema. Harkema was originally a

peat Peat (), also known as turf (), is an accumulation of partially decayed vegetation or organic matter. It is unique to natural areas called peatlands, bogs, mires, moors, or muskegs. The peatland ecosystem covers and is the most efficien ...

excavation settlement. The initial linear settlement which mainly consisted of

sod house The sod house or soddy was an often used alternative to the log cabin during frontier settlement of the Great Plains of Canada and the United States in the 1800s and early 1900s. Primarily used at first for animal shelters, corrals, and fences, ...

s disappeared in the 18th century, but re-emerged during the 19th century. In 1840, it was home to 484 people. In 1883, a church was opened in a wooden shed, and was replaced in 1891 by a real church. The church was too small, and replaced by the current church in 1913. In the 1960s, Harkema experienced growth and started to attract industry.

Sports

Harkema is home to the amateur football club, the

Harkemase Boys Harkemase Boys is a football club from Harkema, Netherlands. The club plays in the Derde Divisie since 2016, when it won a section championship in the Hoofdklasse. History On 27 October 2021, they became one of 3 Derde Divisie teams to advance ...

. Cyclist

Pieter Weening Pieter Weening (born 5 April 1981) is a Dutch former professional road bicycle racer, who rode professionally for the (2004–2011), (2012–2015), (2016–2019), and (2020) teams. Career Weening was born in Harkema, Friesland. 2005 In 2005 ...

, who was the first Frisian to win a stage in the

Tour de France The Tour de France () is an annual men's multiple-stage bicycle race primarily held in France, while also occasionally passing through nearby countries. Like the other Grand Tours (the Giro d'Italia and the Vuelta a España), it consists ...

, is from Harkema just as another former cyclist pro,

Wiebren Veenstra Wiebren Veenstra (born 8 December 1966) is a Dutch former professional racing cyclist. He rode in two editions of the Tour de France The Tour de France () is an annual men's multiple-stage bicycle race primarily held in France, while al ...

, is.

Gallery

File:Betonwei 30 Harkema.jpg, House in Harkema File:Boelenslaan Oranje gekte.JPG, Camping during football season File:De Bôge..JPG, Apartment house File:De Harkema, PKN-tsjerke.jpg, Protestant church

References

External links

www.mooiharkema.nl
{{Dutch municipality Achtkarspelen Achtkarspelen Populated places in Friesland