Wûnseradiel () is a former

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' ...

in the

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 ...

province of 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 ...

, at the eastern end of the ''

Afsluitdijk The Afsluitdijk (; ; "closure dyke") is a major dam and causeway in the Netherlands. It was constructed between 1927 and 1932 and runs from Den Oever in North Holland province to the village of Zurich, Friesland, Zurich in Friesland province, o ...

''. The official (legal) name of the municipality is in the

West Frisian language West Frisian (; ), or simply Frisian ( ; ), is a West Germanic language spoken mostly in the province of Friesland () in the north of the Netherlands, mostly by those of Frisians, Frisian ancestry. It is the most widely spoken of the Frisian ...

, though it is known as Wonseradeel () in Dutch. In 2011 it was merged with the municipalities of

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 ...

, Nijefurd,

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 ...

and

Wymbritseradiel Wymbritseradeel (; official ) was a rural municipality () in the Dutch province of Friesland from 1984 until 2011. An earlier type of municipality () of the same name existed from 1500 until 1984. History Wymbritseradeel was formed from the d ...

forming the new municipality

Súdwest-Fryslân Southwest Friesland ( ) is a municipality in the northern Netherlands, located in the province of Friesland. It had a population of 89,999 in January 2021. Sneek is the municipal seat. With a total area of 841.56 km2, Southwest-Friesland is ...

.http://www.fusiesudwestfryslan.nl/ (dutch website from the municipality, stating: "Bolsward, Nijefurd, Sneek, Wûnseradiel and Wymbritseradiel are merged since 1 January 2011".)

Towns and villages

Allingawier,

Arum ''Arum'' is a genus of plants in the Araceae family; they are native to Europe, northern Africa, and western and central Asia, with the highest species diversity in the Mediterranean region. Frequently called arum lilies, they are not closely ...

, Burgwerd, Cornwerd, Dedgum, Exmorra, Ferwoude, Gaast, Hartwerd, Hichtum, Hieslum, Idsegahuizum,

Kimswerd Kimswerd () is a village in Súdwest-Fryslân municipality in the province of Friesland, the Netherlands , Terminology of the Low Countries, informally Holland, is a country in Northwestern Europe, with Caribbean Netherlands, overseas t ...

Kornwerderzand Kornwerderzand ( West Frisian: Koarnwertersân) is a village on the Afsluitdijk, a major dam in the Netherlands that links Friesland with North Holland. Overview Kornwerderzand is located approximately 4 kilometers from the coast of Friesland, on ...

Lollum Lollum is a village in Súdwest-Fryslân in the province of Friesland, the Netherlands. It had a population of around 360 in January 2017. There is a restored windmill, ''Meerswal'' in the village. History The village was first mentioned in th ...

, Longerhouw, Makkum, Parrega, Piaam, Pingjum, Schettens, Schraard, Tjerkwerd, Witmarsum, Wons,

Zurich Zurich (; ) is the list of cities in Switzerland, largest city in Switzerland and the capital of the canton of Zurich. It is in north-central Switzerland, at the northwestern tip of Lake Zurich. , the municipality had 448,664 inhabitants. The ...

Hamlets

Arkum, Atzeburen, Baarderburen, Baburen, Breezanddijk, De Blokken, Dijksterburen, Doniaburen, Eemswoude, Engwier, Exmorrazijl, Gooium, Grauwe Kat, Harkezijl, Hayum, Hemert, Idserdaburen, It Fliet, Jonkershuizen, Jousterp, Kampen, Kooihuizen, Koudehuizum, Rijtseterp, Scharneburen,

Strand Strand or The Strand may refer to: Topography *The flat area of land bordering a body of water, a: ** Beach ** Shoreline * Strand swamp, a type of swamp habitat in Florida Places Africa * Strand, Western Cape, a seaside town in South Africa * ...

, Vierhuizen, Wonneburen

Famous inhabitants

Pier Gerlofs Donia Pier Gerlofs Donia ( – 28 October 1520) was a Frisian farmer, rebel leader, and pirate. He is best known by his West Frisian nickname ''Grutte Pier'' ('Big Pier'; in the pre-1980 West Frisian spelling written as ''Greate Pier''), or by the D ...

, better known as 'Grutte Pier', was an infamous

freedom fighter A freedom fighter is a person engaged in a struggle to achieve political freedom, particularly against an established government. The term is typically reserved for those who are actively involved in armed or otherwise violent rebellion. Termi ...

from Kimswerd born sometime near the year 1480, who led a

guerrilla war Guerrilla warfare is a form of unconventional warfare in which small groups of irregular military, such as rebels, partisans, paramilitary personnel or armed civilians, which may include recruited children, use ambushes, sabotage, terrorism ...

against the occupying forces after his village was plundered in 1515. He led the Frisian rebel army, the

Arumer Zwarte Hoop The Arumer Zwarte Hoop, meaning "Black Army of Arum" () was an army of peasant rebels and mercenaries in Friesland fighting against the Habsburg authorities from 1515 to 1523. For four years they were successful under the former farmer Pier Gerlo ...

from 1515 until 1519. *

Wijard Jelckama Wijerd Jelckama (also spelled Wierd and Wijard)Eekhoff, W.(1851). ''Beknopte geschiedenis van Friesland'' (in Dutch). Leeuwarden: W. Eekhoff. 138–139. (c. 1490– 7 July 1523) was a Frisian military commander, warlord and member of the '' Arume ...

was a Frisian military commander and freedom fighter. He co-founded the Arumer Zwarte Hoop and led it from 1519 until his death by decapitation in 1523. *

Menno Simons Menno Simons (; ; 1496 – 31 January 1561) was a Roman Catholic priest from the Friesland region of the Low Countries who was excommunicated from the Catholic Church and became an influential Anabaptist religious leader. Simons was a contempor ...

was born in Witmarsum in 1492 or 1496. He was a leader of the Dutch

Anabaptists Anabaptism (from Neo-Latin , from the Greek : 're-' and 'baptism'; , earlier also )Since the middle of the 20th century, the German-speaking world no longer uses the term (translation: "Re-baptizers"), considering it biased. The term (tra ...

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 ...

. * B.D. Dykstra was born in Pingjum in 1872. He emigrated to

Iowa Iowa ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the upper Midwestern United States, Midwestern region of the United States. It borders the Mississippi River to the east and the Missouri River and Big Sioux River to the west; Wisconsin to the northeast, Ill ...

and became a leader in the

Reformed Church in America The Reformed Church in America (RCA) is a mainline Reformed Protestant denomination in Canada and the United States. It has about 82,865 members. From its beginning in 1628 until 1819, it was the North American branch of the Dutch Reformed ...

References

External links

Official website
Municipalities of the Netherlands disestablished in 2011 Former municipalities of Friesland Súdwest-Fryslân {{Friesland-geo-stub