Nij Beets ( nl, Nieuw Beets) 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 1,705 in January 2017.

History

Nij Beets was founded in 1863 by

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 ...

workers. The peat workers came to Nij Beets around 1860 to excavate and make peat of the turf. The

settlement Settlement may refer to: *Human settlement, a community where people live *Settlement (structural), the distortion or disruption of parts of a building *Closing (real estate), the final step in executing a real estate transaction *Settlement (fina ...

was near to the old village Beets. The area was a major transit route to the former municipality Utingeradiel, de Zeveinsweg; north lay Ga Weg—now Prikkewei. In 1831 a new road, the Nije Leppedyk—later the Domela Nieuwenhuiswei—between Zeveinsweg and Gean Wei was constructed. The fields ranged from 1863 to kick off. Twenty years later the landscape appeared as alternating strips of wasteland, hayfields and peat

bog A bog or bogland is a wetland that accumulates peat as a deposit of dead plant materials often mosses, typically sphagnum moss. It is one of the four main types of wetlands. Other names for bogs include mire, mosses, quagmire, and muskeg; a ...

. It was mainly the de Prikkewei constructed, on the east side of the Skipsleat and north of the Nij Beetsterfeart. In the late 19th century the extraction of peat slowly continued.

Settlement

In 1891 a wooden church was built. In 1908 a

Dutch Reformed The Dutch Reformed Church (, abbreviated NHK) was the largest Christian denomination in the Netherlands from the onset of the Protestant Reformation in the 16th century until 1930. It was the original denomination of the Dutch Royal Family an ...

Church of stone was built near the Skipsleat. In 1917 a

Reformed Reform is beneficial change Reform may also refer to: Media * ''Reform'' (album), a 2011 album by Jane Zhang * Reform (band), a Swedish jazz fusion group * ''Reform'' (magazine), a Christian magazine *''Reforme'' ("Reforms"), initial name of the ...

church on the Prikkewei followed. Twenty homes were built in 1921 on the Swynswei (the former Zeveinswei) and twelve more were built in 1938 and 1940 on a side path of the Domela Nieuwenhuiswei. The history of the area and the particular turf industries are currently visible in a small open-air museum with relocated original structures and several reconstructions. The museum is called 'It Damshûs'

Geography

Nij Beets was situated in a

polder A polder () is a low-lying tract of land that forms an artificial hydrological entity, enclosed by embankments known as dikes. The three types of polder are: # Land reclaimed from a body of water, such as a lake or the seabed # Flood plains s ...

landscape. The Polderhoofdcanal runs through Nij Beets. As of 2011 it was made navigable. It runs from

De Veenhoop De Veenhoop ( fry, De Feanhoop) is a village in Smallingerland municipality in the province of Friesland, the Netherlands. It had a population of around 245 in January 2017. History The village was first mentioned between 1851 and 1855 as De Vee ...

off by Nij Beets to the Nije feart by De Uilesprong. The nature area ''de Kraanlannen'' is by de Feanhoop. Here are the remnants of the petgatten from the peat time. South of Nij Beets runs the "Boarn". This is a river previously released in the

Middelzee The Middelzee (Dutch for "middle sea"; fry, Middelsee), also called Bordine, was the estuary mouth of the River Boorne (West Frisian: ''Boarn'') now in the Dutch province of Friesland. It ran from as far south as Sneek northward to the Wadden S ...

. South of the river is natural area ''De Deelen'', that was also a peat source. Nij Beets is centrally located in the area which borders the forest of

Beetsterzwaag Beetsterzwaag ( fry, Beetstersweach) is a village in the municipality of Opsterland in the east of Friesland in the Netherlands. It had a population of around 3,485 in January 2017. Beetsterzwaag is known for its estates and manor houses. History ...

and the Frisian Lakes area.

Community

Gallery

File:20181010 Skipsleat3 bij Nij Beets.jpg, Farm on the canal File:20181010 Fries landschap1 langs de Leppedijk Nij Beets.jpg, Sheep near Nij Beets File:Nij Beets museum It Damhus.jpg, Museum of Nij Beets File:Nijbeets - Stoppeldei 2013 -003.JPG, Plowing with horses

References

External links

Website Beets Online , Nij Beets, Oud Beets

The website of the museum in Nij Beets about the peat time
{{Dutch municipality Opsterland Populated places in Friesland Geography of Opsterland