Mirns ( fry, Murns) is a village in
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 ...
in the province 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 ...
, 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 130 in 2017.
History
The village was first mentioned between 1243 and 1254 as Midlinghe, and means settlement in the middle. Mirns was a settlement on the former
Zuiderzee
The Zuiderzee or Zuider Zee (; old spelling ''Zuyderzee'' or ''Zuyder Zee'') was a shallow bay of the North Sea in the northwest of the Netherlands, extending about 100 km (60 miles) inland and at most 50 km (30 miles) wide, with an o ...
coast (nowadays:
IJsselmeer
The IJsselmeer (; fy, Iselmar, nds-nl, Iesselmeer), also known as Lake IJssel in English, is a closed off inland bay in the central Netherlands bordering the provinces of Flevoland, North Holland and Friesland. It covers an area of with an a ...
). The church was demolished in the mid-18th century.
The belfry was built in 1723.
It was destroyed on 22 December 1943 when an American
Consolidated B-24 Liberator
The Consolidated B-24 Liberator is an American heavy bomber, designed by Consolidated Aircraft of San Diego, California. It was known within the company as the Model 32, and some initial production aircraft were laid down as export models des ...
was struck by a rocket and crashed into the tower. Seven of the crew members died in the crash, however Joe Gill survived. All except John Allen were reburied at the
Netherlands American Cemetery
Netherlands American Cemetery and Memorial ( nl, Amerikaanse Begraafplaats Margraten) is a Second World War military war grave cemetery, located in the village of Margraten, east of Maastricht, in the most southern part of the Netherlands. The ...
after the war.
The bell tower was later rebuilt in a wider shape. There is a little American wind mill from the 1920s on the coast.
Before 2009, Mirns was part of the
Gaasterlân-Sleat municipality and before 1984 it was part of
Gaasterland.
Gallery
File:Mirns, huisje aan de doorgaande weg.JPG, Little house
File:Plaatsnaambord Mirns.JPG, Welcome to Mirns
File:20190703 Vogelhut De Mok1 tussen Mirns en Laaxum.jpg, Bird watching shed
File:20190703 Mirnser Klif1.jpg, Beach of Mirns
References
External links
De Fryske Marren
Populated places in Friesland
{{Friesland-geo-stub