Noordwolde (; ) is a village in

Weststellingwerf Weststellingwerf (; Stellingwarfs: or ) is a Municipalities of the Netherlands, municipality in the province of Friesland in the northern Netherlands. It borders both Drenthe and Overijssel. It is one of the municipalities of Friesland where the s ...

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 ...

, the

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 had a population of around 3,600 as of 2017. , the settlement to the south of Noordwolde is considered a separate village. There is a restored

windmill A windmill is a machine operated by the force of wind acting on vanes or sails to mill grain (gristmills), pump water, generate electricity, or drive other machinery. Windmills were used throughout the high medieval and early modern period ...

in the village, ''Windlust''. The National Museum of Weaving is located in the village. There is a natural lake, the Spokedam, which is partly surrounded by a beach, on the outskirts of Noordwolde. There are several camp sites near the lake such as "Hanestede" and the bungalow park "The Bosmeer". There is a swimming pool beside the Spokedam. There are two supermarkets and several other shops and restaurants in the village, and the largest model train shop (G-scale) in Europe is in Noordwolde.

History

The village was first mentioned in 1408 as Noortwolde, and means "northern woods". Noordwolde is a

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 ...

excavation village which developed at the intersection of the Hoofdstraat with the Kolonievaart. Up to the 19th century, it was the capital of the ''

grietenij A ''grietenij'' was a municipal district, a forerunner to the '' gemeente'' or municipality in Frisia, particularly in Friesland, and also in the city Groningen which are now a part of the Netherlands. After the Saxon occupation, from about 1498 un ...

'' (predecessor of the municipality)

. The Dutch Reformed church was built between 1639 and 1640 as a replacement of its medieval predecessor. The church was enlarged in 1853. Noordwolde was home to 1,792 people in 1840. In the mid-19th century, Noordwolde became a centre for weaving, basket making and chair production. In 1912, a

weaving Weaving is a method of textile production in which two distinct sets of yarns or threads are interlaced at right angles to form a fabric or cloth. Other methods are knitting, crocheting, felting, and braiding or plaiting. The longitudinal ...

school was founded in Noordwolde. The building nowadays houses a museum dedicated to weaving.

Notable people

* Johan Eilerts de Haan (1865–1910), Dutch explorer

Gallery

File:Hoofdstraat Oost 34 Noordwolde.jpg, Weaving museum File:Voormalig tramstation NTM - panoramio.jpg, Former tram station used by the fire department File:Hier info in Noordwolde.JPG, Tourist information File:Spokeplas Noordwolde 2008.jpg, Spokeplas near Noordwolde

References

External links

Noordwolde en de gemeente Weststellingwerf, plaatselijk nieuws
{{Authority control Geography of Weststellingwerf Populated places in Friesland