Balk () is a town in the northern

Netherlands , Terminology of the Low Countries, informally Holland, is a country in Northwestern Europe, with Caribbean Netherlands, overseas territories in the Caribbean. It is the largest of the four constituent countries of the Kingdom of the Nether ...

. It is a village of the municipality

De Fryske Marren De Fryske Marren () 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 Boarnsterhim, all four of whi ...

, province

Friesland Friesland ( ; ; official ), historically and traditionally known as Frisia (), named after the Frisians, is a Provinces of the Netherlands, province of the Netherlands located in the country's northern part. It is situated west of Groningen (p ...

, and is located about 17 km southwest of

Sneek Sneek (; ) is a List of cities in the Netherlands by province, city southwest of Leeuwarden and the seat of the former municipality of Sneek in the province of Friesland, Netherlands. As of 2011 it is the seat of the municipality of Súdw ...

. In 2024 Balk had 4,340 inhabitants.

Geography

Balk lies between Harich and

Wijckel Wijckel () is a village in De Fryske Marren municipality in the province of Friesland, the Netherlands. It had a population of around 645 in 2017. History The village was first mentioned in the 13th century Wicle. The etymology is unclear. Wijckel ...

. The

Luts Lower urinary tract symptoms (LUTS) refer to a group of clinical symptoms involving the bladder, urinary sphincter, urethra and, in men, the prostate. The term is more commonly applied to menover 40% of older men are affectedbut lower urinary t ...

river flows through the village. It is said that it arose where a

beam Beam may refer to: Streams of particles or energy *Light beam, or beam of light, a directional projection of light energy **Laser beam *Radio beam *Particle beam, a stream of charged or neutral particles **Charged particle beam, a spatially lo ...

was over the river, that is why the village is called Balk because it means ''beam'' in Frisian and Dutch. Balk 06

History

At first Balk was a part of Harich. In 1585

Spanish Spanish might refer to: * Items from or related to Spain: **Spaniards are a nation and ethnic group indigenous to Spain **Spanish language, spoken in Spain and many countries in the Americas **Spanish cuisine **Spanish history **Spanish culture ...

soldiers from

Groningen Groningen ( , ; ; or ) is the capital city and main municipality of Groningen (province), Groningen province in the Netherlands. Dubbed the "capital of the north", Groningen is the largest place as well as the economic and cultural centre of ...

plundered Balk. In the 18th century Balk became wealthy due to the butter trade and in the 19th century it had become a village of its own.

Religion

Balk had various faith communities from in the beginning. One of them was the community of the

Mennonites Mennonites are a group of Anabaptism, Anabaptist Christianity, Christian communities tracing their roots to the epoch of the Radical Reformation. The name ''Mennonites'' is derived from the cleric Menno Simons (1496–1561) of Friesland, part of ...

who were very strict in their beliefs. In the middle of the 19th century a big group emigrated to America to settle themselves there near Goshen,

Indiana Indiana ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the Midwestern United States, Midwestern region of the United States. It borders Lake Michigan to the northwest, Michigan to the north and northeast, Ohio to the east, the Ohio River and Kentucky to the s ...

The biggest faith community in Balk is

protestantism Protestantism is a branch of Christianity that emphasizes Justification (theology), justification of sinners Sola fide, through faith alone, the teaching that Salvation in Christianity, salvation comes by unmerited Grace in Christianity, divin ...

. The protestant community has about 1800 members and has two churches; a monumental church at the Luts and since 1982 a new church. In the village there is also a catholic parish with a church devoted to Sint Ludgerus.

Culture

The village and the river are said to have inspired the poet

Herman Gorter Herman Gorter (; 26 November 1864 – 15 September 1927) was a Dutch poet and council communist theoretician. He was a leading member of the Tachtigers, a highly influential group of Dutch writers who worked together in Amsterdam in the 1880 ...

to his famous poem ' Mei' in which Gorter does not speak of a village and a river but of a small city and a canal: ''Een nieuwe lente en een nieuw geluid''
''Ik wil dat dit lied klinkt als het gefluit''
''Dat ik vaak hoorde voor een zomernacht''
''In een oud stadje, langs de watergracht.'' As a memorial there is a statue of the poet. Balk further has a historical centre with a

town hall In local government, a city hall, town hall, civic centre (in the UK or Australia), guildhall, or municipal hall (in the Philippines) is the chief administrative building of a city, town, or other municipality. It usually houses the city o ...

from 1615. In Balk and its surroundings there is a newspaper: the ''Balkster Courant'' Balk has 33 national monuments (

Rijksmonument A (, ) is a national heritage site of the Netherlands, listed by the agency Rijksdienst voor het Cultureel Erfgoed (RCE) acting for the Dutch Ministry of Education, Culture and Science. At the end of February 2015, the Netherlands had 61,822 l ...

Water sports

Balk is a centre of

water sports Water is an inorganic compound with the chemical formula . It is a transparent, tasteless, odorless, and nearly colorless chemical substance. It is the main constituent of Earth's hydrosphere and the fluids of all known living organisms ...

. To the Luts there is sailing school ''de Ulepanne'', multiple winner of the dutch sailing schools championships. On the edge of the Sleatermar there is a big yacht harbor. For cyclists and sailors there is a traditional

skûtsje A skûtsje (pronounced 'skootshuh') is a Frisian sailing boat of the type tjalk or Dutch barge, originally an ordinary cargo boat, but today a prized ship and one of the icons of Frisia. Skûtsjes were built from the 18th century until about 1930 ...

as a sailing ferry between

Heeg Heeg (; ) is a village in Súdwest Fryslân municipality in the province Friesland of the Netherlands and had a population of around 2,175 in January 2017.Qbuzz Qbuzz is a public transport company in the Netherlands that operates services in Friesland, South Holland, Utrecht, Drenthe and Groningen. Founded in 2008, it was a subsidiary of Nederlandse Spoorwegen from 2013 until 2017. It is currently ow ...

): *Line 41:

Heerenveen Heerenveen (, ) is a town and Municipalities of the Netherlands, municipality in the Provinces of the Netherlands, province of Friesland (Fryslân), in the Northern Netherlands. In 2021, the town had a population of 29,790 (1 January) while the m ...

•

Joure Joure (; West Frisian: ''De Jouwer'') is a town in the north of the Netherlands. It is the administrative center of De Fryske Marren, Friesland. With 13,090 inhabitants, it is also the most populous town in the municipality. Residents of Joure a ...

• Scharsterbrug •

Sint Nicolaasga Sint Nicolaasga () is a village in the Dutch province of Friesland. It is located in the municipality of De Fryske Marren, and had a population of around 3330 in 2017.Spannenburg • Tjerkgaast • Sloten •

• Balk •

Lemmer Lemmer () is a town in the municipality of De Fryske Marren, in the Dutch province of Friesland. Lemmer lies adjacent to the IJsselmeer and the Frisian Lakes and is one of Friesland's best-known surface water sports locations. Lemmer is a bustli ...

*Line 44:

• Jutrijp • Hommerts • Woudsend • Balk •

Sondel Sondel is a village in De Fryske Marren municipality in the province of Friesland, the Netherlands. It had a population of around 410 in 2017. History The village was first mentioned in 1422 Syndele. The etymologie is not clear. Sondel developed o ...

•

Nijemirdum Nijemirdum () is a village in De Fryske Marren municipality in the province of Friesland, the Netherlands, with a population of around 555 as of 2004. There is a windmill in the village: 't Zwaantje, which is a monument. History The village was ...

•

Oudemirdum Oudemirdum () is a small village in De Fryske Marren municipality in the province Friesland of the Netherlands and has around the 1330 citizens (2017).Rijs Rijs () is a village within the municipality of De Fryske Marren in the province of Friesland, the Netherlands. Rijs is situated on the road between Oudemirdum and Hemelum. It has approximately 170 citizens (2017). Rijs is best known for its 3 ...

•

Hemelum Hemelum ( ) is a village in Súdwest Fryslân municipality, in the province Friesland of the Netherlands. It had a population of around 610 in January 2017.Koudum Koudum () is a village in the northern Netherlands. It is located in Súdwest-Fryslân, Friesland. Nearby villages include Molkwerum to the west, Workum to the north and Hemelum to the south. The population of Koudum was 2,700 in 2019. The nearest ...

•

Workum Workum () is a city located in the List of municipalities of the Netherlands, municipality of Súdwest-Fryslân in Friesland, Netherlands. It received City rights in the Netherlands, city rights in 1399 and is one of the eleven cities of Friesland. ...

•

Parrega Parrega () is a village in the municipality Súdwest-Fryslân in the province of Friesland, the Netherlands. It had a population of around 490 in January 2017.Tjerkwerd Tjerkwerd () is a village in Súdwest-Fryslân municipality in the province Friesland of the Netherlands. It had a population of 455 in January 2017. There is a windmill in the village, De Babuurstermolen. History The village was first mention ...

•

Bolsward Bolsward (, West Frisian: ''Boalsert'') is a city in Súdwest-Fryslân in the province of Friesland, the Netherlands. Bolsward has a population of just under 10,200. It is located 10 km W.N.W. of Sneek. History The town is founded on th ...

Born

* Jetze Doorman (1881−1931), fencer *

Frans Haarsma Frans Haarsma (July 19, 1921 in Balk, Friesland – November 25, 2009 in Nijmegen) was a Roman Catholic priest of the Archdiocese of Utrecht. He was a theologian and emeritus Professor in Pastoral Theology at the Radboud University Nijmegen (forme ...

(1921−2009), priest * (1905−1972), mayor

References

External links

{{Authority control De Fryske Marren Populated places in Friesland