Heerenveen (, fry, It Hearrenfean ) is a

town A town is a human settlement. Towns are generally larger than villages and smaller than cities, though the criteria to distinguish between them vary considerably in different parts of the world. Origin and use The word "town" shares an ori ...

and

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 ...

in the

province A province is almost always an administrative division within a country or state. The term derives from the ancient Roman '' provincia'', which was the major territorial and administrative unit of the Roman Empire's territorial possessions ou ...

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 ...

(Fryslân), 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 ...

. In 2021, the town had a population of 29,790 (1 January) while the municipality had a population 50,859 (1 July).

History

The town was established in 1551 by three lords as a location for the purpose of digging

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 efficient ...

which was used for fuel, hence the name (''heer'' is "lord", ''veen'' is "peat"). Heerenveen was not one of the traditional eleven cities in

(Fryslân) as it did not have so-called city rights. However, it is now one of the larger municipalities of the province. The

windmill A windmill is a structure that converts wind power into rotational energy using vanes called sails or blades, specifically to mill grain (gristmills), but the term is also extended to windpumps, wind turbines, and other applications, in some ...

''Welgelegen'' or ''Tjepkema's Molen'' is the only survivor of seventeen which have stood in Heerenveen.

Population centres

Population as of 1 January 2018: Heerenveen (32,900),

Akkrum Akkrum is a village in the Dutch province of Friesland. It is located in the municipality Heerenveen, about 17 km south of the city of Leeuwarden. Akkrum had about 3,395 inhabitants in 2017. History The village was first mentioned in 1315 as ...

(3406),

Aldeboarn Aldeboarn ( nl, Oldeboorn) is a village in Heerenveen in the province of Friesland, the Netherlands. It had a population of around 1545 in January 2017. Aldeboarn has an iconic church tower. History The village was first mentioned in 1243 as "jn B ...

(1479),

Bontebok The bontebok (''Damaliscus pygargus'') is an antelope found in South Africa, Lesotho and Namibia. ''D. pygargus'' has two subspecies; the nominate subspecies (''D. p. pygargus''), occurring naturally in the Fynbos and Renosterveld areas of ...

(445),

De Knipe De Knipe (archaic: nl, De Knijpe) is a village in the municipality ( nl, Gemeente) Heerenveen in the province of Friesland, the Netherlands. It had a population of around 1,455 in January 2017. History The village was first mentioned in 1622 as ...

(1470),

Gersloot Gersloot ( fry, Gersleat) is a village in Heerenveen in the province of Friesland, the Netherlands ) , anthem = ( en, "William of Nassau") , image_map = , map_caption = , subdivision_type = Sovereign state , subdivision_name = Kingdom ...

(280, together with Gersloot-Polder),

Hoornsterzwaag Hoornsterzwaag ( fry, Hoarnstersweach) is a small village in Heerenveen in the province of Friesland, the Netherlands ) , anthem = ( en, "William of Nassau") , image_map = , map_caption = , subdivision_type = Sovereign state , subdivi ...

(815),

Jubbega Jubbega ( fry, Jobbegea) is a village in the north of the Netherlands, located in the municipality of Heerenveen, Friesland. In 2021, it had a population of 3,255, mai History 15th–18th century The village was first mentioned in 1408 as Jobbe ...

(3510),

Katlijk Katlijk ( West Frisian: ''Ketlik'') is a village in Heerenveen in the province of Friesland, the Netherlands ) , anthem = ( en, "William of Nassau") , image_map = , map_caption = , subdivision_type = Sovereign state , subdivision_nam ...

(630),

Luinjeberd Luinjeberd ( fry, Lúnbert) is a village in the Heerenveen municipality in the province of Friesland, the Netherlands ) , anthem = ( en, "William of Nassau") , image_map = , map_caption = , subdivision_type = Sovereign state , subdivi ...

(450),

Mildam Mildam ( fry, Mildaam) is a village in Heerenveen in the province of Friesland, the Netherlands. It had a population of around 685 in January 2017. Louis Le Roy's "eco-cathedral" is located here. There is a windmill in the village, De Tjongermol ...

(740),

Nes The Nintendo Entertainment System (NES) is an 8-bit third-generation home video game console produced by Nintendo. It was first released in Japan in 1983 as the commonly known as the The NES, a redesigned version, was released in American ...

(1104), Nieuwebrug (210),

Nieuwehorne Nieuwehorne ( fry, Nijhoarne) is a village in Heerenveen in the province of Friesland, the Netherlands. It had a population of around 1,450 in January 2017. History The village was first mentioned in 1315 as Hoerne cum duabus capellis, and means " ...

(1500), Nieuweschoot (180), Oranjewoud (1610),

Oudehorne Oudehorne ( fry, Aldehoarne) is a village in Heerenveen in the province of Friesland, the Netherlands. It had a population of around 835 in January 2017. History The village was first mentioned in 1315 as Hoerna cum duabus capellis, and means "cor ...

(840),

Oudeschoot Oudeschoot ( fry, Aldskoat) is a village in Heerenveen in the province of Friesland, the Netherlands. It had a population of around 1,580 in January 2017. History The village was first mentioned in 1299 as van Scoeten. The name means "corner of hi ...

(1480), Terband (265) and Tjalleberd (800).

Hamlets

The hamlets are: Anneburen, Birstum, Brongergea, Easterboarn, Jinshuzen, Meskenwier, Oude Schouw (partially),

Pean The Panhellenic Union of Fighting Youths ( el, Πανελλήνιος Ένωσις Αγωνιζόμενων Νέων, ''Panellínios Énosis Agonizómenon Néon'', ΠΕΑΝ, PEAN) was a Greek Resistance organization during the Axis Occupation o ...

, Poppenhúzen, Schurega, Soarremoarre, Spitsendijk, Sythuzen, Warniahúzen en Welgelegen (partially). Heerenveen-plaats-OpenTopo.jpg, Map of the city of Heerenveen (2014) Gem-Heerenveen-OpenTopo.jpg, Topographic map of the municipality of Heerenveen

Museums

* Museum Belvédère, modern art and

contemporary art Contemporary art is the art of today, produced in the second half of the 20th century or in the 21st century. Contemporary artists work in a globally influenced, culturally diverse, and technologically advancing world. Their art is a dynamic co ...

* Museum Heerenveen, local history and culture

Transport

Railway station:

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). ...

Local government

Sports

Heerenveen is famous for its sporting accomplishments and world class sports accommodations. These include the Abe Lenstra football stadium and the

Thialf Thialf is an ice arena in Heerenveen, Netherlands. Thialf consists of the Thialf-hal (a 12,500-capacity speed skating venue) and the Elfstedenhal (a 2,500-capacity ice hockey venue). Thialf is used for long track speed skating, short track spee ...

speed skating Speed skating is a competitive form of ice skating in which the competitors race each other in travelling a certain distance on skates. Types of speed skating are long track speed skating, short track speed skating, and marathon speed skatin ...

arena An arena is a large enclosed platform, often circular or oval-shaped, designed to showcase theatre, musical performances, or sporting events. It is composed of a large open space surrounded on most or all sides by tiered seating for spectators ...

which was one of the first indoor 400m ice rinks in the world, and where annually held international events draw large crowds. Thialf is also home to the city's ice hockey team, the

Heerenveen Flyers The UNIS Flyers are an ice hockey club located in Heerenveen, Netherlands. The team competes in the BeNe League and also takes part in the Dutch Cup. Home games are played in the ice hockey arena which forms part of the Thialf complex. Histor ...

. The town's football team,

SC Heerenveen Sportclub Heerenveen (; West Frisian: Sportklub It Hearrenfean) is a Dutch football club from Heerenveen. They currently play in the Eredivisie, the top level of football in the Netherlands. History Sportclub Heerenveen was founded on 20 July ...

, plays in the first tier and has been a steady presence in the

Europa League The UEFA Europa League (abbreviated as UEL, or sometimes, UEFA EL), formerly the UEFA Cup, is an annual football club competition organised since 1971 by the Union of European Football Associations (UEFA) for eligible European football clubs. It ...

, topped by the team's biggest achievement when they qualified for the

UEFA Champions League The UEFA Champions League (abbreviated as UCL, or sometimes, UEFA CL) is an annual club football competition organised by the Union of European Football Associations (UEFA) and contested by top-division European clubs, deciding the competi ...

in 2000. In 2006, the "Sportstad" (Sport City) project was completed, which included a gymnastics hall, swimming pool and an extension to the football stadium, all of which are clustered together. The Abe Lenstra stadium is unusual because its supporter capacity is larger than the number of inhabitants of the town. One of the few football venues that shares this distinction is

Stade Félix Bollaert The Stade Bollaert-Delelis () is the main football stadium in Lens, France, that was built in 1933. It is the home of RC Lens Racing Club de Lens (, commonly referred to as RC Lens or simply Lens) is a French professional football club b ...

Lens A lens is a transmissive optical device which focuses or disperses a light beam by means of refraction. A simple lens consists of a single piece of transparent material, while a compound lens consists of several simple lenses (''elements ...

France France (), officially the French Republic ( ), is a country primarily located in Western Europe. It also comprises of overseas regions and territories in the Americas and the Atlantic, Pacific and Indian Oceans. Its metropolitan area ...

. Several

American football American football (referred to simply as football in the United States and Canada), also known as gridiron, is a team sport played by two teams of eleven players on a rectangular field with goalposts at each end. The offense, the team wi ...

venues, mostly college football venues, also share this distinction.

Notable residents

Édouard Manet - Madame Manet ou Piano - 2

Wilhelm Heinrich, Duke of Saxe-Eisenach Wilhelm Heinrich, Duke of Saxe-Eisenach (10 November 1691 – 26 July 1741), was a duke of Saxe-Eisenach. He was born in Oranjewoud, the eldest and only surviving son of Johann Wilhelm, Duke of Saxe-Eisenach and his first wife Amalie of Nass ...

(1691 in Oranjewoud – 1741) a Duke of Saxe-Eisenach * Suzanne Manet (born 'Leenhoff', 1829–1906), pianist and opera singer, wife of

Édouard Manet Édouard Manet (, ; ; 23 January 1832 – 30 April 1883) was a French modernist painter. He was one of the first 19th-century artists to paint modern life, as well as a pivotal figure in the transition from Realism to Impressionism. Bo ...

* Geerhardus Vos (1862–1949), a Dutch-American Calvinist theologian of the Princeton Theology *

Cissy van Marxveldt Sietske de Haan (24 November 1889 – 31 October 1948), better known by her pen name Cissy van Marxveldt, was a Dutch writer of children's books. She is best known for her series of ''Joop ter Heul'' novels. Biography Sietske de Haan was born o ...

(1889 in Oranjewoud – 1948) a Dutch writer of children's books * Albert Gillis von Baumhauer (1891–1939) a Dutch aviation pioneer, designed the first Dutch helicopter *

Eelco van Kleffens Eelco Nicolaas van Kleffens (17 November 1894 – 17 June 1983) was a Dutch politician and diplomat. Biography Eelco van Kleffens descended from an old Frisian family of public servants. He was the son of Henricus Cato and Jeannette Frésine ...

(1894–1983) a Dutch politician and diplomat * Herman Zanstra (1894 in Schoterland – 1972) a Frisian/Dutch astronomer *

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 ...

(1898–1968), journalist, poet and politician and poet in the

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 ...

* Adrianus van Kleffens (1899–1973) a judge at the European Court of Justice 1952/1958 *

Klaas Runia Klaas Runia (7 May 1926 in Oudeschoot – 14 October 2006 in Kampen) was a Dutch theologian, churchman and journalist. He studied at the Free University, Amsterdam and obtained his doctorate with a dissertation on the concept of theological time ...

(1926 in Oudeschoot – 2006) a Dutch theologian, churchman and journalist *

Wim Duisenberg Willem Frederik "Wim" Duisenberg (; 9 July 1935 – 31 July 2005) was a Dutch politician and economist who served as President of the European Central Bank from 1 June 1998 until 31 October 2003. He was a member of the Labour Party (PvdA). Du ...

(1935–2005), politician and

President of the European Central Bank The president of the European Central Bank is the head of the European Central Bank (ECB), the main institution responsible for the management of the euro and monetary policy in the Eurozone of the European Union (EU). The current president of ...

1998/2003 * T. S. van Albada (born 1936 in Akkrum) a Dutch astronomer and academic *

Gretta Duisenberg Gretta Duisenberg-Nieuwenhuizen (born 6 November 1942) is a Dutch pro-Palestinian political activist. She is the widow of Dutch Labour Party (PvdA) politician Wim Duisenberg who was also the first president of the European Central Bank (ECB). ...

(born 1942) a Dutch pro-Palestinian political activist * Jacob de Haan (born 1959), a Dutch contemporary composer known for wind music * Tineke Postma (born 1978), a Dutch saxophonist * Jan Huitema (born 1984), 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 ...

(MEP)

Sport

Abe Lenstra Abe Minderts Lenstra (27 November 1920 – 2 September 1985) was a Dutch footballer and national football icon in the 1950s who played as a forward. He is regarded as one of the greatest players ever to hail from the Netherlands. He was als ...

(1920–1985), a Dutch football player with 730 club caps *

Foppe de Haan Foppe Geert de Haan (, born 26 June 1943) is a Dutch association football, football coach. He is known for his long association with Friesland, Frisian club SC Heerenveen. De Haan was the manager of the Tuvalu national football team during 2011 ...

(born 1943), football coach and politician * Margriet Zegers (born 1954), a retired Dutch field hockey defender, team gold medallist at the

1984 Summer Olympics The 1984 Summer Olympics (officially the Games of the XXIII Olympiad and also known as Los Angeles 1984) were an international multi-sport event held from July 28 to August 12, 1984, in Los Angeles, California, United States. It marked the sec ...

Franke Sloothaak Franke Sloothaak (born 2 February 1958 in Heerenveen, the Netherlands) is a German show jumping champion, Olympic champion from 1988 and 1996. Olympic Record Sloothaak competed for West Germany at the 1984 Summer Olympics in Los Angeles, ...

(born 1958) a German show jumping Olympic champion *

Nico-Jan Hoogma Nico-Jan Hoogma (born 26 October 1968) is a Dutch former professional footballer who played as a defender. He started his career with SC Cambuur and after three years moved to FC Twente. In 1998, he moved to Germany, where he played for Hamburge ...

(born 1968) a former football defender with 517 club caps *

Falko Zandstra Falko Zandstra (born 27 December 1971) is a former Dutch speed skater. Because of his thin legs he was also called ''de Gespierde Spijker'' which translates to ''the Muscular Nail''. Biography Zandstra was born in Heerenveen, Friesland. He was a ...

(born 1971), a former Dutch speed skater, silver medallist at the

1992 Winter Olympics ) , nations = 64 , athletes = 1,801 (1313 men, 488 women) , events = 57 in 6 sports (12 disciplines) , opening = 8 February 1992 , closing = 23 February 1992 , opened_by = President François Mitterrand , cauldron ...

and bronze medallist the

1994 Winter Olympics The 1994 Winter Olympics, officially known as the XVII Olympic Winter Games ( no, De 17. olympiske vinterleker; nn, Dei 17. olympiske vinterleikane) and commonly known as Lillehammer '94, was an international winter multi-sport event held fro ...

* Carien Kleibeuker (born 1978) a Dutch long-distance speed skater, bronze medallist at the 2014 Winter Olympics *

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), a gymnast and gold medallist at the 2012 Summer Olympics * Sven Kramer (born 1986), long track speed skater, three time Olympic champion in the 5000 meters *

Vladislav Bykanov Vladislav Bykanov ( he, ולדיסלב ביקנוב, uk, Владислав Биканов) (born 19 November 1989) is an Israeli Olympic short track speed skater. He won the gold medal in the 3,000m at the 2015 and 2018 European Championships. ...

(born 1989) an Israeli Olympic short track speed skater, lives in Heerenveen *

Sanne Wevers Sanne Wevers (born 17 September 1991) is a Dutch artistic gymnast. She is the 2016 Olympic and 2018 European champion on the balance beam and was the first Dutch female gymnast to become an Olympic champion on an individual event. She is also ...

(born 1991), an artistic gymnast, gold medallist at the 2016 Summer Olympics *

Antoinette de Jong Antoinette Rijpma-de Jong (; born 6 April 1995) is a Dutch speed skater. She won the bronze medal in the 3000 m at the 2018 Winter Olympics The 2018 Winter Olympics ( ko, 2018년 동계 올림픽, Icheon sip-pal nyeon Donggye Ollimpik), off ...

(born 1995) a Dutch speed skater, bronze medallist at the

2018 Winter Olympics The 2018 Winter Olympics ( ko, 2018년 동계 올림픽, Icheon sip-pal nyeon Donggye Ollimpik), officially the XXIII Olympic Winter Games (french: Les XXIIIes Jeux olympiques d'hiver; ko, 제23회 동계 올림픽, Jeisipsamhoe Donggye Ollimpi ...

* Lisa Top (born 1996), a Dutch artistic gymnast * Aafke Soet (born 1997), former short track speed skater, now cyclist *

Yasser Seirawan Yasser Seirawan ( ar, ياسر سيروان; born March 24, 1960) is a Syrian-born American chess grandmaster and four-time United States champion. He won the World Junior Chess Championship in 1979. Seirawan is also a published chess author a ...

(born 1960), American/Syrian chess grandmaster and champion known for his excellent books and commentary on chess games, * Andries Noppert (born 1994), Dutch National Team Goalkeeper World Cup 2022.

Twin cities

Heereveen's longstanding connection with Rishon LeZion,

Israel Israel (; he, יִשְׂרָאֵל, ; ar, إِسْرَائِيل, ), officially the State of Israel ( he, מְדִינַת יִשְׂרָאֵל, label=none, translit=Medīnat Yīsrāʾēl; ), is a country in Western Asia. It is situated ...

ended in 2016 after the supporting organizations shut down in both countries.

Gallery

File:Abe Lenstra Stadion 08c.JPG,

Abe Lenstra Stadion Abe Lenstra Stadion () is a football stadium, located in Heerenveen, Netherlands. It is currently used mostly as a home ground for Eredivisie club Heerenveen. The current capacity is 27.224. Naming The stadium is named after Abe Lenstra, general ...

, football stadium File:21169 Heerenveen Crackstate 2.jpg, Town hall File:Museumbelvedereoranjewoud.jpg, Museum Belvédère File:Heerenveen panorama 01.jpg, Heerenveen panorama

References

External links

* * * {{Authority control Municipalities of Friesland Populated places in Friesland Populated places established in 1551 1551 establishments in the Holy Roman Empire 16th-century establishments in the Netherlands