Harlingen (; ) is a

municipality A municipality is usually a single administrative division having municipal corporation, corporate status and powers of self-government or jurisdiction as granted by national and regional laws to which it is subordinate. The term ''municipality' ...

and a

city A city is a human settlement of a substantial size. The term "city" has different meanings around the world and in some places the settlement can be very small. Even where the term is limited to larger settlements, there is no universally agree ...

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 ...

, in the province of

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 ...

Overview

Harbor

Harlingen is located on a tip of the Friesland coast that sticks out a bit into the

Wadden Sea The Wadden Sea ( ; ; or ; ; ; ) is an intertidal zone in the southeastern part of the North Sea. It lies between the coast of northwestern continental Europe and the range of low-lying Frisian Islands, forming a shallow body of water with tida ...

. Harlingen's location is adjacent to some natural navigable routes through the Wadden Sea. This makes that the town still has a maritime character. However, the location on the Wadden Sea has always put limits on traffic to Harlingen. Even though the largest sailing ships can now reach Harlingen, this was not the case historically.

Tourism

The center of Harlingen has many monumental buildings. As a whole, the center is a protected view (beschermd stadsgezicht). In combination with its location on the Wadden Sea and the large fleet of historical shallow draught sailing vessels that operate out of Harlingen, this makes the town a center for tourism in Friesland. The municipality works to improve the connection between these attractions so the tourism can grow to its full potential.

Public transport

Harlingen is served by two stations on the railway line from

Leeuwarden Leeuwarden (; ; ; ) is a List of cities in the Netherlands by province, city and Municipalities of the Netherlands, municipality in Friesland, Netherlands, with a population of 127,073 (2023). It is the provincial capital and seat of the Provin ...

. Rederij Doeksen operate ferries to the

Wadden islands The Frisian Islands, also known as the Wadden Islands or the Wadden Sea Islands, form an archipelago at the eastern edge of the North Sea in northwestern Europe, stretching from the northwest of the Netherlands through Germany to the west of Denm ...

Vlieland (; ) is a municipality and island in the northern Netherlands. The municipality of Vlieland is the second most sparsely populated municipality in the Netherlands, after Schiermonnikoog. Vlieland is one of the West Frisian Islands, lying in t ...

and

Terschelling Terschelling (; ; Terschelling dialect: ''Schylge'') is a Municipalities of the Netherlands, municipality and an island in the northern Netherlands, one of the West Frisian Islands. It is situated between the islands of Vlieland and Ameland. ...

that depart from Harlingen.

History

Medieval times

Harlingen is a town with a long history of fishing and shipping. Historically, it was a two hour walk west from

Franeker Franeker (; ) is one of the eleven historical City rights in the Low Countries, cities of Friesland and capital of the municipality of Waadhoeke. It is located north of the Van Harinxmakanaal and about west of Leeuwarden. As of 2023, it had 13,0 ...

. It supposedly received

city rights Town privileges or borough rights were important features of European towns during most of the second millennium. The city law customary in Central Europe probably dates back to Italian models, which in turn were oriented towards the tradition ...

before it was walled. In 1462 most of the settlement was lost to a fire. Harlingen was involved in the

Vetkopers and Schieringers The Vetkopers and Schieringers () were two opposing Frisian factional parties from the medieval period. They were responsible for a civil war that lasted for over a century (1350–1498) and which eventually led to the end of the so-called " Frisi ...

wars. In 1496 the inhabitants of Franeker, which supported the Schieringer party, conquered the lightly fortified city by surprise. Those of

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 ...

supported Harlingen and the Vetkopers, and had previously built a strong castle near the sea, but due to the surprise it was lost. In 1498

Albert III, Duke of Saxony Albert III () (27 January 144312 September 1500) was a Duke of Saxony. He was nicknamed Albert the Bold or Albert the Courageous and founded the ''Albertine line'' of the House of Wettin. Biography Albert was born in Grimma as the third and y ...

landed in Harlingen to support the Schieringer party and founded a new castle at the same place, which started the fortification of Harlingen.

The early modern period (1500–1800)

The first significant event of the

early modern period The early modern period is a Periodization, historical period that is defined either as part of or as immediately preceding the modern period, with divisions based primarily on the history of Europe and the broader concept of modernity. There i ...

was the first expansion of the fortified town in 1543. During the opening phases of the

Eighty Years' War The Eighty Years' War or Dutch Revolt (; 1566/1568–1648) was an armed conflict in the Habsburg Netherlands between disparate groups of rebels and the Spanish Empire, Spanish government. The Origins of the Eighty Years' War, causes of the w ...

(1566–1648) a lot of religious fugitives settled in Harlingen. Many of these were

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 ...

, a

baptist Baptists are a Christian denomination, denomination within Protestant Christianity distinguished by baptizing only professing Christian believers (believer's baptism) and doing so by complete Immersion baptism, immersion. Baptist churches ge ...

branch of

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 ...

. In 1579 and 1580 this led to a second major expansion of the town, which brought the village of Almenum into the city perimeter. Almenum holds a special place in the Christian history of Frisia. In 1597 a third expansion followed. It led to the demolition of the old city walls, except for two round towers on the water front. A more modern system of earthen fortifications replaced it. It had five bastions on the east side and the ability to inundate most of the surrounding countryside. In 1645, the

Admiralty of Friesland The Admiralty of Friesland or Frisian Admiralty (Dutch: ''Admiraliteit van Friesland'' or ''Friese Admiraliteit''; West Frisian: ''Fryske Admiraliteit'') was one of the five Dutch admiralties of the Dutch Republic. Set up on 6 March 1596, it wa ...

was moved to Harlingen. It had previously been established in

Dokkum Dokkum is a Dutch fortified city in the municipality of Noardeast-Fryslân in the province of Friesland. It has 12,669 inhabitants (February 8, 2020). The fortifications of Dokkum are well preserved and are known as the ''bolwerken'' (bulwarks) ...

in 1597. This admiralty had ten councilors: four from Friesland; one each from Gelderland, Utrecht, Holland, and Overijssel; and two from Groningen. In 1770 the admiralty building on the Nieuwe Haven burned down together with a number of adjacent warehouses. These had not been rebuilt by 1791. After the reformation, the Dutch Protestant Church had two churches; the church called the "Dome of Harlingen" in Almenum, and the smaller Wester Kerk. The many Menonites, had two

ministers Minister may refer to: * Minister (Christianity), a Christian cleric ** Minister (Catholic Church) * Minister (government), a member of government who heads a ministry (government department) ** Minister without portfolio, a member of government w ...

. The Lutherans had their own church. The Catholics had a

clandestine church A clandestine church (), defined by historian Benjamin J. Kaplan as a "semi-clandestine church", is a house of worship used by religious minorities whose communal worship is tolerated by those of the majority faith on condition that it is discr ...

, which was legal, but had to remain discreet. The town hall was on the southern side of the Oude Haven. Behind it was the

Weigh house A weighhouse or weighing house is a public building at or within which goods are weighed. Most of these buildings were built before 1800, prior to the establishment of international standards for weights, and were often a large and representative ...

and nearby the a building where the

grain trade The grain trade refers to the local and international trade in cereals such as wheat, barley, maize, rice, and other food grains. Grain is an important trade item because it is easily stored and transported with limited spoilage, unlike other agri ...

took place. The town had a

Latin school The Latin school was the grammar school of 14th- to 19th-century Europe, though the latter term was much more common in England. Other terms used include Lateinschule in Germany, or later Gymnasium. Latin schools were also established in Colon ...

with three teachers. There was an orphanage or shelter for the children of the poor. In the later 18th century, Harlingen was the second city of Friesland with about 7,500 inhabitants. The city was heavily dependend on trade. From the Baltic, it merchants brought

cereal A cereal is a grass cultivated for its edible grain. Cereals are the world's largest crops, and are therefore staple foods. They include rice, wheat, rye, oats, barley, millet, and maize ( Corn). Edible grains from other plant families, ...

timber Lumber is wood that has been processed into uniform and useful sizes (dimensional lumber), including beams and planks or boards. Lumber is mainly used for construction framing, as well as finishing (floors, wall panels, window frames). ...

flax Flax, also known as common flax or linseed, is a flowering plant, ''Linum usitatissimum'', in the family Linaceae. It is cultivated as a food and fiber crop in regions of the world with temperate climates. In 2022, France produced 75% of t ...

hemp Hemp, or industrial hemp, is a plant in the botanical class of ''Cannabis sativa'' cultivars grown specifically for industrial and consumable use. It can be used to make a wide range of products. Along with bamboo, hemp is among the fastest ...

, pitch,

tar Tar is a dark brown or black viscous liquid of hydrocarbons and free carbon, obtained from a wide variety of organic materials through destructive distillation. Tar can be produced from coal, wood, petroleum, or peat. "a dark brown or black b ...

, and other shipping necessities. Harlingen also imported a lot of wine. All these goods were forwarded through the whole province as well as to Groningen province. The imports also led to the foundation of multiple wind powered

sawmill A sawmill (saw mill, saw-mill) or lumber mill is a facility where logging, logs are cut into lumber. Modern sawmills use a motorized saw to cut logs lengthwise to make long pieces, and crosswise to length depending on standard or custom sizes ...

s in the vicinity. Harlingen exported:

butter Butter is a dairy product made from the fat and protein components of Churning (butter), churned cream. It is a semi-solid emulsion at room temperature, consisting of approximately 81% butterfat. It is used at room temperature as a spread (food ...

cheese Cheese is a type of dairy product produced in a range of flavors, textures, and forms by coagulation of the milk protein casein. It comprises proteins and fat from milk (usually the milk of cows, buffalo, goats or sheep). During prod ...

pea Pea (''pisum'' in Latin) is a pulse or fodder crop, but the word often refers to the seed or sometimes the pod of this flowering plant species. Peas are eaten as a vegetable. Carl Linnaeus gave the species the scientific name ''Pisum sativum' ...

bean A bean is the seed of some plants in the legume family (Fabaceae) used as a vegetable for human consumption or animal feed. The seeds are often preserved through drying (a ''pulse''), but fresh beans are also sold. Dried beans are traditi ...

s, horses,

cattle Cattle (''Bos taurus'') are large, domesticated, bovid ungulates widely kept as livestock. They are prominent modern members of the subfamily Bovinae and the most widespread species of the genus '' Bos''. Mature female cattle are calle ...

, and sheep. The animals were embarked at Harlingen and shipped to Holland and even outside of the Dutch Republic. As regards industry, the inhabitants made sails,

bombazine Bombazine, or bombasine, is a fabric originally made of silk or silk and wool, and more recently also made of cotton and wool or of wool alone. Quality bombazine has a silk warp and a worsted weft. It is twilled or corded and used for dress ...

, Velours d'Utrecht,

yarn Yarn is a long continuous length of interlocked fibres, used in sewing, crocheting, knitting, weaving, embroidery, ropemaking, and the production of textiles. '' Thread'' is a type of yarn intended for sewing by hand or machine. Modern ...

, etc. Near the city a lot of salt was made. There were several works for

roof tiles Roof tiles are overlapping tiles designed mainly to keep out precipitation such as rain or snow, and are traditionally made from locally available materials such as clay or slate. Later tiles have been made from materials such as concrete, glass ...

and for saucers and dishes. Harlingen also had some

lime kiln A lime kiln is a kiln used for the calcination of limestone (calcium carbonate) to produce the form of lime called ''quicklime'' (calcium oxide). The chemical equation for this reaction is: CaCO3 + heat → CaO + CO2 This reaction can tak ...

s. These early industrial enterprises relied on the fact that

peat Peat is an accumulation of partially Decomposition, decayed vegetation or organic matter. It is unique to natural areas called peatlands, bogs, mires, Moorland, moors, or muskegs. ''Sphagnum'' moss, also called peat moss, is one of the most ...

could cheaply be transported over water to Harlingen. Fishing was another steady means of existence for the population. All this trade and industry had multiple causes. The first consisted of the natural navigable trenches in the Wadden Sea that connected to Harlingen. The second were the harbor works, which were greatly improved with the third city expansion in 1597. At that time, the Nieuwe Haven and the Oude Buitenhaven were created, both within the city limits. The Buitenhaven stuck out into the Wadden Sea with two dams. It meant that Harlingen was a

port A port is a maritime facility comprising one or more wharves or loading areas, where ships load and discharge cargo and passengers. Although usually situated on a sea coast or estuary, ports can also be found far inland, such as Hamburg, Manch ...

. However most of the heavily loaded ships had to transload on the roadstead or harbor before the town, before they could enter the Buitenhaven. The third reason for the maritime activity in Harlingen was that the whole of

Westergoa Westergoa was one of the Seven Sealands and one of the three that now lie within the borders of today's Dutch province of Friesland. Later it was one of the three goaen of Frisia. In the Middle Ages Westergoa most probably formed the political ...

discharged its water on the Wadden Sea via two locks that exited in the Nieuwe- and Oude Haven. This was somewhat of a guarantee that the trenches in the Wadden Sea would remain in place. It also allowed the city to control the water level in the canals of Westergo. The most important of these was the Harlingertrekvaart from Harlingen to Franeker and then to Leeuwarden, most of which would later become part of the

van Harinxmakanaal The van Harinxmakanaal is a major canal in western Frisland. It runs from the sea at Harlingen, Netherlands, Harlingen eastwards to Leeuwarden. Major places along the canal include Franeker, Dronrijp and Deinum. The canal is 37.5 kilometers long ...

. In the 1640s, the municipalities of Harlingen and Leeuwarden constructed a

towpath A towpath is a road or trail on the bank of a river, canal, or other inland waterway. The purpose of a towpath is to allow a land vehicle, Working animal, beasts of burden, or a team of human pullers to tow a boat, often a barge. This mod ...

along the Harlingertrekvaart. This allowed for reliable and frequent transport to the town's

hinterland Hinterland is a German word meaning the 'land behind' a city, a port, or similar. Its use in English was first documented by the geographer George Chisholm in his ''Handbook of Commercial Geography'' (1888). Originally the term was associated wi ...

. In the 18th century, there was a daily connection by boat from Harlingen to Amsterdam and vice versa.

19th century

Harlingen's port remained significant in the 19th century. Already in the 1820s, the Amsterdamsche Stoomboot Maatschappij made a stop at Harlingen part of her Amsterdam-Hamburg line. While this was later omitted, Harlingen would retain a steam powered line to Amsterdam. Steam powered ships opened some new opportunities, especially for the export of agricultural products to England. By 1846 this was very important for the Frisian economy and led to severe competition between the shipping lines. After some time, the St. Petersburg Steamship Company came to dominate the export to London. The export of life cattle was much easier with steam boats and became important because cattle had to be slaughtered near the place of consumpton. By 1870 the

General Steam Navigation Company The General Steam Navigation Company (GSN), incorporated in 1824, was London's foremost short sea shipping line for almost 150 years. It was the oldest shipping company in the world to begin business with seagoing steam vessels. Foundation ...

(GSNC) also had a regular cattle line between London and Harlingen. In April 1876 GSNC acquired the boats of the Petersburg Steamship Company and thus elimated this competitor. In 1896 the route to Harlingen was one of GSNC's most profitable lines. In the late 1890s, the GSNC ships on this line got cooling facilities. This allowed the export of the famous Frisian dairy products, especially butter with even less damage during transport. The

Harlingen–Nieuweschans railway The Harlingen–Nieuweschans railway is a railway line in the Netherlands running from the port of Harlingen, Netherlands, Harlingen to Bad Nieuweschans, passing through Leeuwarden and Groningen (city), Groningen. The line was opened between 1863 ...

was constructed between 1863 and 1868, before either Leeuwarden station or Groningen station got a connection to the south. This might have been related to the importance of the harbor of Harlingen. Later on Harlingen got a connection to a local light rail train service. From 1904 to 1935 there was a passenger service on the

North Friesland Railway The Noord-Friesche Locaalspoorweg-Maatschappij (North Friesland Railway) was a railway serving the sparsely populated province of Friesland in northern Netherlands. Operated by the North Friesland Local Railway Company (Dutch: ''Noord-Friesche Loc ...

, freight being carried until January 1938. The famous Dutch writer

Simon Vestdijk Simon Vestdijk (; 17 October 1898 – 23 March 1971) was a Dutch writer. He was nominated for the Nobel Prize in Literature fifteen times. Life Born in the small Frisian town of Harlingen, Vestdijk studied medicine in Amsterdam, but turned t ...

was born in Harlingen and used to depict his hometown in his writings as Lahringen. The town of

Harlingen, Texas Harlingen ( ) is a city in Cameron County, Texas, Cameron County in the central region of the Rio Grande Valley (Texas), Rio Grande Valley of the southern part of the U.S. state of Texas, about from the coast of the Gulf of Mexico. The city co ...

, in the

United States The United States of America (USA), also known as the United States (U.S.) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It is a federal republic of 50 U.S. state, states and a federal capital district, Washington, D.C. The 48 ...

is named after this city because many of the original settlers of the

Texas Texas ( , ; or ) is the most populous U.S. state, state in the South Central United States, South Central region of the United States. It borders Louisiana to the east, Arkansas to the northeast, Oklahoma to the north, New Mexico to the we ...

town came from Harlingen.

Population centers

* Harlingen ( West Frisian: ''Harns'') * Midlum (''Mullum'') *

Wijnaldum Wijnaldum (; ) is a village in northwest Friesland, the Netherlands. The village lies within the municipality of Harlingen, however, prior to 1984, it was a part of the municipality of Barradeel. The village center has approximately 100 resident ...

(''Winaam'')

Notable people

Simon Frisius Simon de Vries, also known as Simon Frisius (born c. 1570–75, in Harlingen, Netherlands, Harlingen – died c. 1628–29, The Hague),Maarten Gerritszoon Vries Maarten Gerritszoon Vries or Fries, also referred to as de Vries, (18 February 1589 in Harlingen, Netherlands – late 1647 at sea near Manila) was a 17th-century Dutch cartographer and explorer, the first Western Europe to leave an account of h ...

(1589–1647) Dutch cartographer and explorer *

Sebastiaen Jansen Krol Bastiaen Jansz Krol (also ''Sebastia(e)n'' ''Jans(s)en'' ''Crol'' Crol, Bastiaen Janssen (1630): '' Contract of sale of land along the Hudson River from the Mahican Indians to Kiliaen van Rensselaer'' on Wikisource or ''Crull''; 1595, Harling ...

(1595–1674)

Director of New Netherland This is a list of Directors, appointed by the Dutch West India Company, of the 17th century Dutch province of New Netherland (''Nieuw-Nederland'' in Dutch) in North America. Only the last, Peter Stuyvesant, held the title of Director General. A ...

1632/1633 *

Jacob Adriaensz Backer Jacob Adriaensz Backer (1608 – 27 August 1651) was a Dutch Golden Age painter. He produced about 140 paintings in twenty years, including portraits, religious subjects, and mythological paintings. In his style, he was influenced by Wybrand d ...

(1609–1651) a

Dutch Golden Age painter Dutch Golden Age painting is the painting of the Dutch Golden Age, a period in Dutch history roughly spanning the 17th century, during and after the later part of the Eighty Years' War (1568–1648) for Dutch independence. The new Dutch Republi ...

* Tako Hajo Jelgersma (1702–1795) a Dutch painter *

Jacobus Deketh Captain Jacobus Deketh (1726 – 26 July 1764) was a Dutch States Navy officer who was a captain in the Frisian Admiralty, one of the five admiralties of the Dutch Republic. In 1744 at the age of 18, Deketh joined the Admiralty of Amsterdam. He b ...

(1726–1764) a captain in the Frisian Admiralty *

Joannes de Mol Joannes de Mol (September 15, 1726 – November 22, 1782) was a Dutch minister (Christianity), minister, Patriots (Dutch Republic), Patriot and porcelain manufacturer in the second half of the 18th century. De Mol - like many of his contemporar ...

(1726–1782) a Dutch minister, Patriot and porcelain manufacturer *

Hermanna Molkenboer-Trip Hermanna Molkenboer-Trip (1851–1911), was a Dutch industrialist. She was the daughter of lawyer Scato Trip (1807–1871) and Martha Cornelia Blok (1825–1867). In 1875 she married Johannes Hermanus Molkenboer (1845–1892), owner of the major ...

(1851–1911) a Dutch industrialist *

Court Lambertus van Beyma Coert or Court Lambertus van Beyma ( Harlingen, 5 February 1753 – Dronrijp, 7 September 1820), son of Julius Matthijs van Beyma and Fokel Helena van Burmania, was a public notary and auctioneer, delegate and representative of the Frisian States, ...

(1753–1820) a public notary and auctioneer, delegate of the

States of Friesland The States of Friesland were the sovereign body that governed the province of Friesland under the Dutch Republic. They were formed in 1580 after the former Lordship of Frisia (a part of the Habsburg Netherlands) acceded to the Union of Utrecht ...

* Nicolaas Baur (1767–1820) was a Dutch marine artist * Johannes Kayser (1842–1917) a Dutch architect, primarily of churches *

J.J.L. Duyvendak Jan Julius Lodewijk Duyvendak (28 June 18899 July 1954) was a Dutch Sinologist and professor of Chinese language, Chinese at Leiden University. He is known for his translation of ''The Book of Lord Shang'' and his studies of the ''Dao De Jing''. ...

(1889–1954) a Dutch Sinologist and professor of Chinese *

(1898–1971) a Dutch writer, nominated 15 times for the

Nobel Prize in Literature The Nobel Prize in Literature, here meaning ''for'' Literature (), is a Swedish literature prize that is awarded annually, since 1901, to an author from any country who has, in the words of the will of Swedish industrialist Alfred Nobel, "in ...

* Peter J Sterkenburg (1955–2000) a Dutch

autodidact Autodidacticism (also autodidactism) or self-education (also self-learning, self-study and self-teaching) is the practice of education without the guidance of schoolmasters (i.e., teachers, professors, institutions). Overview Autodi ...

painter of maritime scenes * Jan Ykema (born 1963) a former ice speed skater,

1988 Winter Olympics The 1988 Winter Olympics, officially known as the XV Olympic Winter Games () and commonly known as Calgary 1988 were a multi-sport event held from February 13 to 28, 1988, with Calgary, Calgary, Alberta as the main host city. This marks the m ...

silver medalist * Abe de Vries (born 1965) a Frisian poet, essayist, literary critic, journalist, editor, translator and photographer *

Joost Vandebrug Joost Vandebrug (born 24 June 1982) is a Dutch artist working across photography and film. Life and work Vandebrug studied at the Gerrit Rietveld Academie in Amsterdam. Vandebrug's photo-based works include both conventional and unconvention ...

(born 1982) a Dutch photographer, video director and documentary film director IMDb Database
retrieved 28 July 2019

Gallery

Image:Stadhuis Harlingen raadhuistoren.jpg, Harlingen, town hall Image:Harlingen, Voorstraat 56, Hannemahuis.JPG, Museum Het Hannemahuis Image:Harlingen, vuurtoren foto2 2010-04-17 10.27.JPG, Harlingen Lighthouse Image:2010-04-17 10.46 Harlingen, monumentaal bedrijfspand1.JPG, Harlingen, monumental building Image:Tall Ship races Harlingen 2014 - Alexander von Humboldt II and Sorlandet in the back Stad Amsterdam.jpg, Harlingen Harbor during the Tall Ship Races in 2014

References

Citations

Bibliography

* * *

External links

*
Official website
(English)
streaming webcams
(Dutch) * {{Authority control Municipalities of Friesland Populated places in Friesland Cities in Friesland Cities in the Netherlands Port cities and towns in the Netherlands Port cities and towns of the North Sea Populated coastal places in the Netherlands