Buren is the eastern-most village on the island of Ameland

Ameland

Ameland is a municipality and one of the West Frisian Islands off the north coast of the Netherlands. It consists mostly of sand dunes. It is the third major island of the West Frisians. It neighbours islands Terschelling to the West and Schiermonnikoog to the East...

, one of the West Frisian Islands

West Frisian Islands

The West Frisian Islands are a chain of islands in the North Sea off the Dutch coast, along the edge of the Wadden Sea. They continue further east as the German East Frisian Islands and are part of the Frisian Islands....

 and part of the Netherlands.

Rixt van het Oerd

Buren is also home to the infamous legend of the witch Rixt van het Oerd (e.g. Rixt of Oerd). This old lady would tie a lantern on a cow who she would chase into the dunes. She would hope for a ship to mistake the cow for a lighthouse

Lighthouse

A lighthouse is a tower, building, or other type of structure designed to emit light from a system of lamps and lenses or, in older times, from a fire, and used as an aid to navigation for maritime pilots at sea or on inland waterways....

, thinking it was a safe haven. Instead the ship would run aground on the sand bars along the coastline, leaving its cargo for her to pick up from the beach. One day in a heavy storm, she practiced her reckless way of making extra money and stumbles upon the dead body of a drowned sailor. As she comes closer, it turns out it is her own son, Sjoerd. After realizing what she has done, every time there is now a storm raging over Ameland

Ameland

Ameland is a municipality and one of the West Frisian Islands off the north coast of the Netherlands. It consists mostly of sand dunes. It is the third major island of the West Frisians. It neighbours islands Terschelling to the West and Schiermonnikoog to the East...

, she howls out her son's name in the wind.

In remembrance of the legend of Rixt van het Oerd, there is a little statue in the center of Buren.

500 years ago the population consisted of pirates and bandits, today the residents live from the tourist industry (lots of school classes from Germany visit Ameland and stay at Buren.)