Wergea ( nl, Warga) is a village in

Leeuwarden Leeuwarden (; fy, Ljouwert, longname=yes /; Town Frisian: ''Liwwadden''; Leeuwarder dialect: ''Leewarden'') is a city and municipality in Friesland, Netherlands, with a population of 123,107 (2019). It is the provincial capital and seat of the ...

municipality 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 1,560 in January 2017. There are two

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

s in the village,

De Hempenserpoldermolen De Hempenserpoldermolen is a smock mill in Wergea, Friesland, Netherlands which was built in 1863 and has been restored to working order. It is listed as a Rijksmonument. History ''De Hempenserpoldermolen'' was built in 1863 to drain the Hempens ...

and a paaltjasker.

History

The village was first mentioned in 944 as Wartengahe. The etymology is unknown. Wergea is a ''

terp A ''terp'', also known as a ''wierde, woerd, warf, warft, werf, werve, wurt'' or ''værft'', is an artificial dwelling mound found on the North European Plain that has been created to provide safe ground during storm surges, high tides an ...

'' (artificial living mound) village from the early middle ages. During the 16th and 17th century, it developed due to good water connections and became a centre of trade and shipping. In 1664, the widow's court was founded by Vrouck van Popma for poor widows. The wooden buildings were rebuilt in 1864. The polder mill ''

'' was built in 1863. In 1955, a pumping station was opened and the windmill became obsolete. The owner wanted to demolish it, however it was transferred to the

water board A water board is a regional or national organisation that has very different functions from one country to another. The functions range from flood control and water resources management at the regional or local level (the Netherlands, Germany), w ...

for ƒ 2,-. In 1988, the mill was restored. In 1840, Wergea was home to 873 people. The Roman Catholic St. Martinus Church was built between 1860 and 1862. In 1860, the terp was excavated. In 1886, the first

cooperative A cooperative (also known as co-operative, co-op, or coop) is "an autonomous association of persons united voluntarily to meet their common economic, social and cultural needs and aspirations through a jointly owned and democratically-control ...

dairy factory of the Netherlands opened in Wergea. The company is nowadays - after many mergers - known as

Friesland Foods Royal Friesland Foods (Koninklijke Friesland Foods N.V.) was a Dutch company that developed, produced and sold branded dairy products and fruit-based drinks. Royal Friesland Foods had a strong presence in Western Europe, Central Europe, West Afri ...

, however the Wergea factory closed in 1994. Before 2014, Wergea was part of

Boarnsterhim Boarnsterhim (; nl, Boornsterhem ) was a municipality in the northern Netherlands. On 1 January 2014, the municipality was dissolved and its territory was split between four other municipalities: De Friese Meren, which was established that day, Le ...

municipality and before 1984 it belonged to .

Notable people

Annie van der Meer Annie van der Steeg-Van der Meer (10 August 1928 — 30 May 2004) was a Dutch kortebaan speed skater, with her best results in the 1950s. During her career she won a total of 75 prizes. She became twice Frisian champion and won the silver meda ...

(1928—2004), speed skater

References

Gallery

Warga Sint-Martinuskerk.jpg, St Martin's Church File:Kleine Buorren 19-houten huis, overzicht (Lytse Buorren) - Warga - 20249668 - RCE.jpg, Widow's court File:De Palma Brêge bij Wergea.JPG, Bridge near Wergea File:Tjasker Warga.jpg, Tjasker

External links

* {{Authority control Leeuwarden Populated places in Friesland