Opperdoes is a village in the

Dutch Dutch commonly refers to: * Something of, from, or related to the Netherlands * Dutch people () * Dutch language () Dutch may also refer to: Places * Dutch, West Virginia, a community in the United States * Pennsylvania Dutch Country People E ...

province of

North Holland North Holland ( nl, Noord-Holland, ) is a province of the Netherlands in the northwestern part of the country. It is located on the North Sea, north of South Holland and Utrecht, and west of Friesland and Flevoland. In November 2019, it had a ...

. It is a part of the municipality of

Medemblik Medemblik () is a municipality and a town in the Netherlands, in the province of North Holland and the region of West-Frisia. It lies immediately south of the polder and former municipality of Wieringermeer. History Medemblik was a prosperous ...

, and lies about 12 km north of

Hoorn Hoorn () is a city and municipality in the northwest of the Netherlands, in the province of North Holland. It is the largest town and the traditional capital of the region of West Friesland. Hoorn is located on the Markermeer, 20 kilometers ( ...

. It has a certain fame for its local variety of

potato The potato is a starchy food, a tuber of the plant ''Solanum tuberosum'' and is a root vegetable native to the Americas. The plant is a perennial in the nightshade family Solanaceae. Wild potato species can be found from the southern Unit ...

es, "Opperdoezer Ronde". The village was first mentioned in the late 11th century as Those, and means "bog with moss". Opper (upper) could have been added to distinguish from Nederdoes, a village lost in the

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 ...

History

The exact age of the village of Opperdoes is hard to determine. The village used to be located very close to the sea, and the area has been flooded several times. Initial settlements seem to have been abandoned after the year 300 because of large floods. New villages were later built on terps. Opperdoes used to be located 4 or 5 kilometres from the sea-

dike Dyke (UK) or dike (US) may refer to: General uses * Dyke (slang), a slang word meaning "lesbian" * Dike (geology), a subvertical sheet-like intrusion of magma or sediment * Dike (mythology), ''Dikē'', the Greek goddess of moral justice * Dikes, ...

that existed around 781. However, the dike was in a very bad condition and in 1318 Willem van Henegouwen, the ruler, agreed the build a new dike. In 1334 a new dike was built between

and Barsingerhorn. The new dike was built 4 kilometres southwards of the old one and Almersdorp, a village, was left outside the new dike. In 1517 the old church of Opperdoes and many buildings were destroyed by Grote Pier and his Frisian army, the '' Gelderse Friezen''. A new church was built, and it was ready in 1530. The top of the tower of the church was replaced in 1838, after it was destroyed in a storm in November 1836. Opperdoes was a separate municipality between 1817 and 1979, when the new municipality of

Noorder-Koggenland Noorder-Koggenland () is a former municipality in the Netherlands, in the province of North Holland. Abbekerk, located in the municipality of Noorder-Koggenland, received city rights in 1414. The municipality merged into Medemblik in 2007. Pop ...

was created.

Important buildings and locations

A touristic attraction is the old

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railway station Rail transport (also known as train transport) is a means of transport that transfers passengers and goods on wheeled vehicles running on rails, which are incorporated in tracks. In contrast to road transport, where the vehicles run on a pre ...

on the railway between Hoorn and Medemblik.

Religion

Religion has played an important part in the village in the last two centuries. Opperdoes is considered an orthodox village in a fairly liberal minded area. In earlier times the villagers of Opperdoes were called ''the Turks'': they were a particularly free-minded people, in line with the other villages in the area, that enjoyed life to the fullest. Around 1822 Jan Mazereeuw, the so-called ''Profete of Opperdoes'', preached in the village. He was a farmer and had been mayor of the village for a while during the

French occupation French (french: français(e), link=no) may refer to: * Something of, from, or related to France ** French language, which originated in France, and its various dialects and accents ** French people, a nation and ethnic group identified with France ...

. He called the Reformed Church a godless temple and preached a very sober lifestyle. Although he never had a large crowd of followers, it is generally assumed that a part of the village's orthodoxy can be explained by his preachings.

Statistics

In 2001, the village centre of Opperdoes had 1442 inhabitants. The built-up area of the village was 0.31 km², and contained 555 residences.Statistics Netherlands (CBS), ''Bevolkingskernen in Nederland 2001'

Statistics are for the continuous built-up area. The wider statistical area of Opperdoes has a population of around 1750.Statistics Netherlands (CBS), ''Gemeente Op Maat 2004: Noorder-Koggenland'

References

* ''Het dorp Opperdoes'', J. Z. Maartenszoon, Repro Holland, 1973 *

Abraham Jacob van der Aa Abraham Jacob van der Aa (7 December 1792, Amsterdam – 21 March 1857, Gorinchem) was a Dutch writer best known for his dictionaries, one of notable people and the other of notable places in the Netherlands. He was born in Amsterdam in 1792. ...

, "Aardrijkskundig woordenboek der Nederlanden", 1839–1851 {{Authority control Populated places in North Holland Former municipalities of North Holland Medemblik