Oosterleek 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 ...
in the
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 ...
of
Drechterland
Drechterland () is a municipality in the Netherlands, in the province of North Holland and the region of West-Frisia. The municipality was formed in 1979, in a merger of the former municipalities of Hoogkarspel, Westwoud and Oosterblokker. Its o ...
, in the Dutch
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 ...
North Holland. The village used to belong to the municipalities Venhuizen (1970–2006) and Wijdenes (pre-1970).
Oosterleek was first noted on a map in 1311 as ''Oesterleke'', in which ''oester'' means "eastern" and ''leke'' means "stream". This name was supposedly a reference to the fact that the village was located to the east of a
stream.
During the 17th century, it was a fishing village which was home to a population of about 500 people.
Nowadays, a small bit of Oosterleek lays in the
Markermeer
The Markermeer () is a lake in the central Netherlands in between North Holland, Flevoland, and its smaller and larger neighbors, the IJmeer and IJsselmeer. A shallow lake at 3 to 5 m in depth, matching the reclaimed land to its west, ...
, because the
levee was moved westwards to guarantee full safety. It is said that this part included a church. The current church was built in 1694. The church was decommissioned in 1972, and is nowadays used for weddings, expositions and concerts. It is also home to local library.
Gallery
File:Langhuis Oosterleek voorzijde in 2021.jpg, Wooden farm
File:Zicht op Oosterleek.jpg, Church of Oosterleek
References
{{Authority control
Populated places in North Holland
Drechterland