Gorredijk
Encyclopedia
Gorredijk is the biggest town in the municipality
of Opsterland
, which lies in Friesland
, which in turn is a province
of the Netherlands
. Gorredijk had an approximate population of 7,050 in 2007, which will have risen over 8,000 at the end of 2009 due to the development of several new housing projects.
, kept bees
and produced buckwheat
, oat
, rye
, pea
s, bean
s, flax
and various herb
s. However, most fields were not suitable for agriculture
and consisted almost completely of bog
, which could be excavated for valuable peat
. This attracted several people, like Jonker Dekema and the gentlemen Compagnons, who made a good living out of excavating and selling the peat and ended up owning vast stretches of land. In 1630 a new way of transport was introduced when the Opsterlandse Compagnonsvaart, a 34 km (21.1 mi) long canal was finished. This is also considered the beginning of the colony "Goordyck", when the first houses and a bridge were constructed.
The year 1672 saw the construction of a Motte-and-bailey
wall (de Skâns) around the settlement, due to its strategic position to protect the regained independence of Friesland in the aftermath of the Friso-Hollandic Wars
. Gorredijk gained the title of Vlecke (Market town
) in 1694 when the first weekly market (Gordykster Merke) and annual cattle market (which ended in the 1980s) were organized. The town also grew substantially in the early 1700's, when it merged with the nearby settlement of Kortezwaag, which would later become the name of a neighborhood. At the end of the 18th century an increase in Jewish immigrants occurred, due to the growing Dutch economy. These people constructed a synagogue
, school and small Jewish cemetery
in 1817 and flourished.
After the German invasion
in 1940 during World War II
the Netherlands fell under Nazi control. Dutch Jews were arrested, brought to Amersfoort, Vught or Westerbork and transported to the east. Very few Jews in Gorredijk would survive the war, but due to the reasonable amount of residents that were active in the Dutch resistance
several people were able to remain hidden in the area for the duration of the war. During the five years of occupation three British
and one American
aircraft were shot down over the town, which crashed near the neighboring villages of Terwispel
and Hemrik
.
The last fatality of the war in Gorredijk was Gerke Numan, a member of the Dutch resistance. He was part of a group of eleven people who were tasked to prevent the retreating Germans from blowing up the main drawbridge
in Gorredijk, so that the advancing Canadian
3rd Infantry Division
and 2nd Corps
armor
could make a quick advance to the north. Numan was killed by a hand grenade
in the firefight that ensued with Nazis from Heerenveen
and the bridge was completely destroyed. The new bridge that was constructed after the war was named after him.
Municipality
A municipality is essentially an urban administrative division having corporate status and usually powers of self-government. It can also be used to mean the governing body of a municipality. A municipality is a general-purpose administrative subdivision, as opposed to a special-purpose district...
of Opsterland
Opsterland
Opsterland is a municipality in the province of Friesland in the Netherlands.-Population centres:Bakkeveen, Beetsterzwaag, Frieschepalen, Gorredijk, Hemrik, Jonkerslân, Langezwaag, Lippenhuizen, Luxwoude, Nij Beets, Olterterp, Siegerswoude, Terwispel, Tijnje, Ureterp, Wijnjewoude.-Twin towns —...
, which lies in Friesland
Friesland
Friesland is a province in the north of the Netherlands and part of the ancient region of Frisia.Until the end of 1996, the province bore Friesland as its official name. In 1997 this Dutch name lost its official status to the Frisian Fryslân...
, which in turn is a province
Province
A province is a territorial unit, almost always an administrative division, within a country or state.-Etymology:The English word "province" is attested since about 1330 and derives from the 13th-century Old French "province," which itself comes from the Latin word "provincia," which referred to...
of the Netherlands
Netherlands
The Netherlands is a constituent country of the Kingdom of the Netherlands, located mainly in North-West Europe and with several islands in the Caribbean. Mainland Netherlands borders the North Sea to the north and west, Belgium to the south, and Germany to the east, and shares maritime borders...
. Gorredijk had an approximate population of 7,050 in 2007, which will have risen over 8,000 at the end of 2009 due to the development of several new housing projects.
History
Before the 1600's, the area now-a-days surrounding Gorredijk was sparsely populated by farmers who herded sheepDomestic sheep
Sheep are quadrupedal, ruminant mammals typically kept as livestock. Like all ruminants, sheep are members of the order Artiodactyla, the even-toed ungulates. Although the name "sheep" applies to many species in the genus Ovis, in everyday usage it almost always refers to Ovis aries...
, kept bees
Honey bee
Honey bees are a subset of bees in the genus Apis, primarily distinguished by the production and storage of honey and the construction of perennial, colonial nests out of wax. Honey bees are the only extant members of the tribe Apini, all in the genus Apis...
and produced buckwheat
Buckwheat
Buckwheat refers to a variety of plants in the dicot family Polygonaceae: the Eurasian genus Fagopyrum, the North American genus Eriogonum, and the Northern Hemisphere genus Fallopia. Either of the latter two may be referred to as "wild buckwheat"...
, oat
Oat
The common oat is a species of cereal grain grown for its seed, which is known by the same name . While oats are suitable for human consumption as oatmeal and rolled oats, one of the most common uses is as livestock feed...
, rye
Rye
Rye is a grass grown extensively as a grain and as a forage crop. It is a member of the wheat tribe and is closely related to barley and wheat. Rye grain is used for flour, rye bread, rye beer, some whiskeys, some vodkas, and animal fodder...
, pea
Pea
A pea is most commonly the small spherical seed or the seed-pod of the pod fruit Pisum sativum. Each pod contains several peas. Peapods are botanically a fruit, since they contain seeds developed from the ovary of a flower. However, peas are considered to be a vegetable in cooking...
s, bean
Bean
Bean is a common name for large plant seeds of several genera of the family Fabaceae used for human food or animal feed....
s, flax
Flax
Flax is a member of the genus Linum in the family Linaceae. It is native to the region extending from the eastern Mediterranean to India and was probably first domesticated in the Fertile Crescent...
and various herb
Herb
Except in botanical usage, an herb is "any plant with leaves, seeds, or flowers used for flavoring, food, medicine, or perfume" or "a part of such a plant as used in cooking"...
s. However, most fields were not suitable for agriculture
Agriculture
Agriculture is the cultivation of animals, plants, fungi and other life forms for food, fiber, and other products used to sustain life. Agriculture was the key implement in the rise of sedentary human civilization, whereby farming of domesticated species created food surpluses that nurtured the...
and consisted almost completely of bog
Bog
A bog, quagmire or mire is a wetland that accumulates acidic peat, a deposit of dead plant material—often mosses or, in Arctic climates, lichens....
, which could be excavated for valuable peat
Peat
Peat is an accumulation of partially decayed vegetation matter or histosol. Peat forms in wetland bogs, moors, muskegs, pocosins, mires, and peat swamp forests. Peat is harvested as an important source of fuel in certain parts of the world...
. This attracted several people, like Jonker Dekema and the gentlemen Compagnons, who made a good living out of excavating and selling the peat and ended up owning vast stretches of land. In 1630 a new way of transport was introduced when the Opsterlandse Compagnonsvaart, a 34 km (21.1 mi) long canal was finished. This is also considered the beginning of the colony "Goordyck", when the first houses and a bridge were constructed.
The year 1672 saw the construction of a Motte-and-bailey
Motte-and-bailey
A motte-and-bailey is a form of castle, with a wooden or stone keep situated on a raised earthwork called a motte, accompanied by an enclosed courtyard, or bailey, surrounded by a protective ditch and palisade...
wall (de Skâns) around the settlement, due to its strategic position to protect the regained independence of Friesland in the aftermath of the Friso-Hollandic Wars
Friso-Hollandic Wars
The Friso-Hollandic Wars, also called Frisian-Hollandic Wars , were a series of short medieval wars consisting of the attempts made by the counts of Holland to conquer the free Frisian territories, which lay to the north and east of their domain...
. Gorredijk gained the title of Vlecke (Market town
Market town
Market town or market right is a legal term, originating in the medieval period, for a European settlement that has the right to host markets, distinguishing it from a village and city...
) in 1694 when the first weekly market (Gordykster Merke) and annual cattle market (which ended in the 1980s) were organized. The town also grew substantially in the early 1700's, when it merged with the nearby settlement of Kortezwaag, which would later become the name of a neighborhood. At the end of the 18th century an increase in Jewish immigrants occurred, due to the growing Dutch economy. These people constructed a synagogue
Synagogue
A synagogue is a Jewish house of prayer. This use of the Greek term synagogue originates in the Septuagint where it sometimes translates the Hebrew word for assembly, kahal...
, school and small Jewish cemetery
Jewish cemetery
A Jewish cemetery is a cemetery where members of the Jewish faith are buried in keeping with Jewish tradition....
in 1817 and flourished.
After the German invasion
Battle of the Netherlands
The Battle of the Netherlands was part of Case Yellow , the German invasion of the Low Countries and France during World War II. The battle lasted from 10 May 1940 until 14 May 1940 when the main Dutch forces surrendered...
in 1940 during World War II
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
the Netherlands fell under Nazi control. Dutch Jews were arrested, brought to Amersfoort, Vught or Westerbork and transported to the east. Very few Jews in Gorredijk would survive the war, but due to the reasonable amount of residents that were active in the Dutch resistance
Dutch resistance
Dutch resistance to the Nazi occupation of the Netherlands during World War II can be mainly characterized by its prominent non-violence, summitting in over 300,000 people in hiding in the autumn of 1944, tended to by some 60,000 to 200,000 illegal landlords and caretakers and tolerated knowingly...
several people were able to remain hidden in the area for the duration of the war. During the five years of occupation three British
Great Britain
Great Britain or Britain is an island situated to the northwest of Continental Europe. It is the ninth largest island in the world, and the largest European island, as well as the largest of the British Isles...
and one American
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
aircraft were shot down over the town, which crashed near the neighboring villages of Terwispel
Terwispel
Terwispel is a village consisting of about 1000 inhabitants in the municipality of Opsterland in the east of Friesland in the Netherlands.- External links :* * *...
and Hemrik
Hemrik
Hemrik is a village consisting of about 740 inhabitants in the municipality of Opsterland in the east of Friesland in the Netherlands....
.
The last fatality of the war in Gorredijk was Gerke Numan, a member of the Dutch resistance. He was part of a group of eleven people who were tasked to prevent the retreating Germans from blowing up the main drawbridge
Drawbridge
A drawbridge is a type of movable bridge typically associated with the entrance of a castle surrounded by a moat. The term is often used to describe all different types of movable bridges, like bascule bridges and lift bridges.-Castle drawbridges:...
in Gorredijk, so that the advancing Canadian
Canada
Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...
3rd Infantry Division
3rd Canadian Infantry Division
The Canadian 3rd Infantry Division was an infantry division of the Canadian Army from 1940 to c.1945.- History :The formation of the division was authorized on 17 May 1940...
and 2nd Corps
II Canadian Corps
II Canadian Corps was a corps-level formation that, along with I Corps and I Canadian Corps , comprised the First Canadian Army in Northwest Europe during World War II.Authorization for the formation of the Corps headquarters became effective in England on...
armor
Armoured warfare
Armoured warfare or tank warfare is the use of armoured fighting vehicles in modern warfare. It is a major component of modern methods of war....
could make a quick advance to the north. Numan was killed by a hand grenade
Hand grenade
A hand grenade is any small bomb that can be thrown by hand. Hand grenades are classified into three categories, explosive grenades, chemical and gas grenades. Explosive grenades are the most commonly used in modern warfare, and are designed to detonate after impact or after a set amount of time...
in the firefight that ensued with Nazis from Heerenveen
Heerenveen
Heerenveen is a town in the Heerenveen municipality of the province of Friesland , in the north of the Netherlands.- History :The town was established in 1551 by three lords as a location for the purpose of digging peat which was used for fuel, hence the name...
and the bridge was completely destroyed. The new bridge that was constructed after the war was named after him.
Notable residents
Notable residents of Gorredijk were and are:- Roelof Kuipers (1855 – 1922), architect (specialized in water supplyWater supplyWater supply is the provision of water by public utilities, commercial organisations, community endeavours or by individuals, usually via a system of pumps and pipes...
) - Tjeerd Kuipers (1857 – 1942), architect (specialized in churches)
- Hans de Jong (1921 – 2010), former weather reporter for the NCRVNCRVNCRV is a public radio and television broadcaster in the Netherlands, mostly transmitting on Nederland 1 and Nederland 2....
- Wilco Hellinga (1970), former soccer player and current trainer of SC Heerenveen.
- Jannick de Jong (1987), speedwayMotorcycle speedwayMotorcycle speedway, usually referred to as speedway, is a motorcycle sport involving four and sometimes up to six riders competing over four anti-clockwise laps of an oval circuit. Speedway motorcycles use only one gear and have no brakes and racing takes place on a flat oval track usually...
and grasstrackGrasstrackMotorcycle Grasstrack is a form of motorcycle racing which typically, in its current form, takes place on a flat track consisting of two straights and two bends usually constructed in a field. Mountain and hillside tracks are also common in the UK, creating more technically demanding circuits...
racer - Arjen Bergsma (1989), soccer player with SC Heerenveen.
External links
- Plaatselijk Belang Gorredijk - Unofficial homepage (in Dutch)