Het Bildt
Encyclopedia
het Bildt is a municipality
in the province of Friesland
in the northern Netherlands
; its capital is Sint Annaparochie
. As of 1 November 2006 it had a population of 10,975. Het Bildt has 15.4 kilometers of coastline. Its soil is very fertile and agriculture is a major part of its economy; crops grown include onions, potatoes, and a variety of fruits (mainly apple
s).
Het Bildt was largely settled by Dutch inhabitants from South Holland
; as a result, the language generally spoken there is "Bildts", a dialect that mixes Dutch (as spoken in South Holland) with West Frisian
; Bildts is usually classified as a dialect of Dutch. All three languages - Bildts, Dutch, and Frisian - are spoken in the area.
Only in Minnertsga
(which did not become a part of the municipality of Het Bildt until 1984) is Frisian the predominant language. Signage in Het Bildt is generally bilingual, with names given in both Dutch and Bildts.
The name Het Bildt is formed out of the word "opbilden" which means the silting up of land. Het Bildt should not be confused with the county and town De Bilt
in Utrecht
province.
Source: CBS
The region now called Het Bildt was formed out of a sea called the Middelsee (or Bordine) and was at one time subject to serious floods. The Middlesee once separated the western lands from the rest of the Frisian mainland. The western part was called Westergoa
and the city of Franeker
was in its center. The eastern part was called Eastergoa
. The city Leeuwarden was located along Eastergoa's western coast. The Middelsee stretched all the way from the north to the west of Bolsward
. Earlier it extended still further, all the way to the Zuiderzee (now het IJsselmeer
) and Westergoa was an Island only accessible by boat. Around 1300 the sea began to become less accessible to boats. Eventually a dike was raised between the villages Beetgumermolen
and Britsum
to stop the continuous overflooding. As a result, the area south of this dike was no longer subject to the effects of tides and the parts that weren't already dry became solid land. Westergo and Oostergo were connected. The Swette has been kept as a small river between Leeuwarden and Sneek
. After the dike was raised, the northern part of the Middelsee also gradually silted. In 1398 the dry fallen lands were given by the count Albrecht van Beieren to Arend van Egmond, Lord of IJsselstein. In 1498, even more land became dry. This trend, caused by the Waddenzee's tide, has continued to the present.
The new dry land consisted of two regions, called "Het Grote Bildt" and "Het Kleine Bildt", and both came under the ownership of the Saxon duke Albert of Saxony-Meissen. He seriously considered converting the whole region into solid dry land but he was out of funds and died within a few years in 1504. The Saxon control of Friesland was by no means secure and was continually threatened by revolts in that province. Consequently Albert's successor Heinrich of Saxony
, who was of a rather inert disposition, relinquished his claims to the governorship, and in 1505 an agreement was made between Albert's two sons by which Friesland was transferred to Heinrich's brother, George of Saxony
, while Heinrich received an annuity and the districts of Freiberg
and Wolkenstein
.
In June 1505, Duke George of Saxony signed an eleven year farming-lease-agreement with the noble brothers from Zuid-Holland, Dirk van Wijngaarden, Floris van Wijngaarden, and Jakob Oem van Wijngaarden, and their brother in law Thomas Beukelaar. The brothers started the project in 1505 but in the years that followed the dykes they had laid could still not prevent the tides from flooding the land. After receiving money from George of Saxony and hiring the help of two nobles, misters Davelaer and Bontemantel, they accomplished the immense task of dyking the area properly. "Het Bildt" was diked by a 14-kilometer-long dike which was fashioned purely by hand, spade, boats, and mud. This work was accomplished by many workmen from three Dutch provinces: Zuid-Holland, Zeeland
, and Friesland
. The area was mathematically planned and consists of straight, parallel roads pointing from south to north or east to west.
Along the main road three villages were formed. They are named Wijngaarden, Altoenae, and Kijfhoek, after the villages (Wijngaarden
, Altoenae and Kijfhoek
) in Zuid Holland, the province from which most of the workers came. In time the villages formed Catholic parishes (parochie) and the names of these parishes eventually were used as the names for these villages. Since then the villages have been called Sint Jacobiparochie
, Sint Annaparochie
and Vrouwenparochie
. George of Saxony was unable to suppress the revolts of the Schieringers and Gelderschen (who formed a pact) and in 1514 he was required to hand over the whole Bildt area to the Count of Holland and Zeeland, with the permission of Charles V
, the Holy Roman Emperor
.
When the "Republic of the Seven United Netherlands" fought and freed itself from Spain
, Het Bildt became the 29th county
of Friesland
. Eventually, it was decided that the area north of the dike would also be diked; this was done in 1600. The new dike was called the "Nieuwe Bildtdijk
" and the old 14-kilometer-long dike was called "Oude Bildtdijk
". The area in between was called "Nij Bildt" and in 1637 was sold because the Frisian province was short on money. It is claimed that the Frisian farmhouse
s which can be seen throughout Friesland originated in Het Bildt. The former Zuid-Holland province inhabitants brought the design with them and it was later exploited for use all over the Frisian province (though the typical Bildts farmhouse
s do vary from Frisian farmhouses).
In 1715 another western area was diked, named the "Wester Bildtpollen
". On 12 March 1751 the rest of this area was also sold. In 1754 the eastern part, the "Ooster Bildtpollen
" was diked.
Today the "Oude Biltdijk" and the "Nieuwe Bildtdijk" are both covered with roads and houses; the road that runs across the old 14 kilometer long dike is the longest in the Netherlands.
----
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...
in the province of 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...
in the northern 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...
; its capital is Sint Annaparochie
Sint Annaparochie
Sint Annaparochie is the principal and largest town of the municipality of Het Bildt in Friesland, the Netherlands. It lies approximately 15 km northwest of Leeuwarden and has approximately four thousand inhabitants. The town is named after Saint Anne, the mother of Mary.St. Annaparochie was...
. As of 1 November 2006 it had a population of 10,975. Het Bildt has 15.4 kilometers of coastline. Its soil is very fertile and agriculture is a major part of its economy; crops grown include onions, potatoes, and a variety of fruits (mainly apple
Apple
The apple is the pomaceous fruit of the apple tree, species Malus domestica in the rose family . It is one of the most widely cultivated tree fruits, and the most widely known of the many members of genus Malus that are used by humans. Apple grow on small, deciduous trees that blossom in the spring...
s).
Het Bildt was largely settled by Dutch inhabitants from South Holland
South Holland
South Holland is a province situated on the North Sea in the western part of the Netherlands. The provincial capital is The Hague and its largest city is Rotterdam.South Holland is one of the most densely populated and industrialised areas in the world...
; as a result, the language generally spoken there is "Bildts", a dialect that mixes Dutch (as spoken in South Holland) with West Frisian
West Frisian language
West Frisian is a language spoken mostly in the province of Friesland in the north of the Netherlands. West Frisian is the name by which this language is usually known outside the Netherlands, to distinguish it from the closely related Frisian languages of Saterland Frisian and North Frisian,...
; Bildts is usually classified as a dialect of Dutch. All three languages - Bildts, Dutch, and Frisian - are spoken in the area.
Only in Minnertsga
Minnertsga
Minnertsga is a small village in Het Bildt in the province Friesland of the Netherlands and has around the 1850 citizens....
(which did not become a part of the municipality of Het Bildt until 1984) is Frisian the predominant language. Signage in Het Bildt is generally bilingual, with names given in both Dutch and Bildts.
The name Het Bildt is formed out of the word "opbilden" which means the silting up of land. Het Bildt should not be confused with the county and town De Bilt
De Bilt
De Bilt is a municipality and a town in the Netherlands, in the province of Utrecht.-Population centres :The municipality of De Bilt consists of the following cities, towns, villages and/or districts: Bilthoven, De Bilt, Groenekan, Hollandsche Rading, Maartensdijk, Westbroek...
in Utrecht
Utrecht (province)
Utrecht is the smallest province of the Netherlands in terms of area, and is located in the centre of the country. It is bordered by the Eemmeer in the north, Gelderland in the east, the river Rhine in the south, South Holland in the west, and North Holland in the northwest...
province.
Population centres
Number of inhabitants as of 1 January 2004:| Dutch name | Bildts name | West Frisian name | Population |
| Sint Annaparochie Sint Annaparochie Sint Annaparochie is the principal and largest town of the municipality of Het Bildt in Friesland, the Netherlands. It lies approximately 15 km northwest of Leeuwarden and has approximately four thousand inhabitants. The town is named after Saint Anne, the mother of Mary.St. Annaparochie was... |
Sint-Anne | n.a. | 3990 |
| Minnertsga Minnertsga Minnertsga is a small village in Het Bildt in the province Friesland of the Netherlands and has around the 1850 citizens.... |
n.a. | Minnertsgea | 1640 |
| Sint Jacobiparochie Sint Jacobiparochie Sint Jacobiparochie is a town in the municipality of Het Bildt in Friesland, the Netherlands. It lies about 13 km. north of Franeker and has approximately 1,700 inhabitants.... |
Sint-Jabik | n.a. | 1370 |
| Oudebildtzijl Oudebildtzijl Oudebildtzijl is a small village in Het Bildt in the province Friesland of the Netherlands and has around the 740 citizens . It's the starting point from where de Oude Bildtdijk was created.-External links:*... |
Ouwe-Syl | n.a. | 740 |
| Vrouwenparochie Vrouwenparochie Vrouwenparochie is a small village in Het Bildt in the province Friesland of the Netherlands and has around 620 citizens. It is called "Froubuurt" in the dialect of Het Bildt.- External links :*... |
Froubuurt | Froubuorren | 620 |
| Nij Altoenae Nij Altoenae Nij Altoenae is a small village in Het Bildt in the province Friesland of the Netherlands with a population of about 280 .- External links :*... |
Nij Altoenae | n.a. | 280 |
| Westhoek Westhoek (Friesland) Westhoek is a small village in Het Bildt in the province Friesland of the Netherlands and has around the 280 citizens .... |
De Westhoek | n.a. | ? |
Source: CBS
History
The region now called Het Bildt was formed out of a sea called the Middelsee (or Bordine) and was at one time subject to serious floods. The Middlesee once separated the western lands from the rest of the Frisian mainland. The western part was called Westergoa
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 centre of the Frisian realm.- Area :On the eastern...
and the city of Franeker
Franeker
Franeker is one of the eleven historical cities of Friesland and capital of the municipality of Franekeradeel. It is located about 20 km west of Leeuwarden on the Van Harinxma Canal. As of 1 January 2006, it had 12,996 inhabitants. The city is famous for the Eisinga Planetarium from around...
was in its center. The eastern part was called Eastergoa
Eastergoa
Eastergoa was one of the seven areas and one of the three gaue that lay within the borders of the today's Frisian province of Friesland in The Netherlands.- Area :...
. The city Leeuwarden was located along Eastergoa's western coast. The Middelsee stretched all the way from the north to the west of Bolsward
Bolsward
Bolsward is a city in Súdwest Fryslân in the province of Friesland, the Netherlands. Bolsward is just short of a population of 10,000.- History :The town is founded on three artificial dwelling hills, of which the first was built some time before Christ....
. Earlier it extended still further, all the way to the Zuiderzee (now het IJsselmeer
IJsselmeer
IJsselmeer is a shallow artificial lake of 1100 km² in the central Netherlands bordering the provinces of Flevoland, North Holland and Friesland, with an average depth of 5 to 6 m. The IJsselmeer is the largest lake in Western Europe....
) and Westergoa was an Island only accessible by boat. Around 1300 the sea began to become less accessible to boats. Eventually a dike was raised between the villages Beetgumermolen
Beetgumermolen
Beetgumermolen is a small village in Menaldumadeel in the province Friesland of the Netherlands and has around the 920 citizens ....
and Britsum
Britsum
The village of Britsum is sited within the municipality of Leeuwarderadeel , in the Netherlands. Britsum was built on an artificial bank running along the eastern side of the former Middelzee. The church, built around 1300, is also located on this bank. It has a population of about 1100 citizens...
to stop the continuous overflooding. As a result, the area south of this dike was no longer subject to the effects of tides and the parts that weren't already dry became solid land. Westergo and Oostergo were connected. The Swette has been kept as a small river between Leeuwarden and Sneek
Sneek
Sneek is a city southwest of Leeuwarden and seat of the former municipality of Sneek in the province of Friesland . As for 2011 it is part of the municipality Súdwest Fryslân...
. After the dike was raised, the northern part of the Middelsee also gradually silted. In 1398 the dry fallen lands were given by the count Albrecht van Beieren to Arend van Egmond, Lord of IJsselstein. In 1498, even more land became dry. This trend, caused by the Waddenzee's tide, has continued to the present.
The new dry land consisted of two regions, called "Het Grote Bildt" and "Het Kleine Bildt", and both came under the ownership of the Saxon duke Albert of Saxony-Meissen. He seriously considered converting the whole region into solid dry land but he was out of funds and died within a few years in 1504. The Saxon control of Friesland was by no means secure and was continually threatened by revolts in that province. Consequently Albert's successor Heinrich of Saxony
Henry IV, Duke of Saxony
Henry IV the Pious, Duke of Saxony was a Duke of Saxony from the House of Wettin.-Biography:Heinrich was the second son of Albert, Duke of Saxony and his wife Sidonie Podiebrad, princess of Bohemia...
, who was of a rather inert disposition, relinquished his claims to the governorship, and in 1505 an agreement was made between Albert's two sons by which Friesland was transferred to Heinrich's brother, George of Saxony
George, Duke of Saxony
George the Bearded, Duke of Saxony , was duke of Saxony from 1500 to 1539.Duke George was a member of the Order of the Golden Fleece.-Early life:...
, while Heinrich received an annuity and the districts of Freiberg
Freiberg (district)
Freiberg is a former district in the Free State of Saxony, Germany. It was bounded by the district of Mittlerer Erzgebirgskreis, the city of Chemnitz, the districts of Mittweida, Meißen and Weißeritzkreis, and by the Czech Republic.- History :The district was established in 1994 by merging the...
and Wolkenstein
Wolkenstein
Wolkenstein is a town in the district Erzgebirgskreis, in the Free State of Saxony, Germany. It is situated in the Ore Mountains, on the Zschopau River, 22 km southeast of Chemnitz....
.
Zeeland
Zeeland , also called Zealand in English, is the westernmost province of the Netherlands. The province, located in the south-west of the country, consists of a number of islands and a strip bordering Belgium. Its capital is Middelburg. With a population of about 380,000, its area is about...
, and 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...
. The area was mathematically planned and consists of straight, parallel roads pointing from south to north or east to west.
Along the main road three villages were formed. They are named Wijngaarden, Altoenae, and Kijfhoek, after the villages (Wijngaarden
Wijngaarden
Wijngaarden is a village in the Dutch province of South Holland. It is a part of the municipality of Graafstroom, and lies about 7 km northeast of Dordrecht.In 2001, the village of Wijngaarden had 300 inhabitants...
, Altoenae and Kijfhoek
Kijfhoek
Kijfhoek is a small village in the Dutch province of South Holland. It is located about 4 km west of the town of Zwijndrecht.Kijfhoek was a separate municipality between 1817 and 1857, when it merged with Groote Lindt....
) in Zuid Holland, the province from which most of the workers came. In time the villages formed Catholic parishes (parochie) and the names of these parishes eventually were used as the names for these villages. Since then the villages have been called Sint Jacobiparochie
Sint Jacobiparochie
Sint Jacobiparochie is a town in the municipality of Het Bildt in Friesland, the Netherlands. It lies about 13 km. north of Franeker and has approximately 1,700 inhabitants....
, Sint Annaparochie
Sint Annaparochie
Sint Annaparochie is the principal and largest town of the municipality of Het Bildt in Friesland, the Netherlands. It lies approximately 15 km northwest of Leeuwarden and has approximately four thousand inhabitants. The town is named after Saint Anne, the mother of Mary.St. Annaparochie was...
and Vrouwenparochie
Vrouwenparochie
Vrouwenparochie is a small village in Het Bildt in the province Friesland of the Netherlands and has around 620 citizens. It is called "Froubuurt" in the dialect of Het Bildt.- External links :*...
. George of Saxony was unable to suppress the revolts of the Schieringers and Gelderschen (who formed a pact) and in 1514 he was required to hand over the whole Bildt area to the Count of Holland and Zeeland, with the permission of Charles V
Charles V, Holy Roman Emperor
Charles V was ruler of the Holy Roman Empire from 1519 and, as Charles I, of the Spanish Empire from 1516 until his voluntary retirement and abdication in favor of his younger brother Ferdinand I and his son Philip II in 1556.As...
, the Holy Roman Emperor
Holy Roman Emperor
The Holy Roman Emperor is a term used by historians to denote a medieval ruler who, as German King, had also received the title of "Emperor of the Romans" from the Pope...
.
When the "Republic of the Seven United Netherlands" fought and freed itself from Spain
Spain
Spain , officially the Kingdom of Spain languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Spain's official name is as follows:;;;;;;), is a country and member state of the European Union located in southwestern Europe on the Iberian Peninsula...
, Het Bildt became the 29th county
County
A county is a jurisdiction of local government in certain modern nations. Historically in mainland Europe, the original French term, comté, and its equivalents in other languages denoted a jurisdiction under the sovereignty of a count A county is a jurisdiction of local government in certain...
of 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...
. Eventually, it was decided that the area north of the dike would also be diked; this was done in 1600. The new dike was called the "Nieuwe Bildtdijk
Nieuwe Bildtdijk
The Nieuwe Bildtdijk, "Nije dyk" in the local language of "Het Bildts", is a dike in the Dutch county Het Bildt which was built around the year 1600 and was to protect the land from flooding. It protected the Wester Bildtpollen and the Ooster Bildtpollen from the Waddenzee. A new higher and...
" and the old 14-kilometer-long dike was called "Oude Bildtdijk
Oude Bildtdijk
The Oude Bildtdijk, "Ouwe dyk" in the local language "Het Bildts" was the first dike in the Dutch county Het Bildt, built in the 16th century, to protect the new lands from flooding. Het Bildt once was part of the Middelzee and even until this day land silts up and new lands are being given by the...
". The area in between was called "Nij Bildt" and in 1637 was sold because the Frisian province was short on money. It is claimed that the Frisian farmhouse
Frisian farmhouse
A "Head-Neck-Body farmhouse" or Head-Neck-Rump farmhouse is a typical Frisian farmhouse. It consists of a residence and a kitchen placed in line in front of a big shed...
s which can be seen throughout Friesland originated in Het Bildt. The former Zuid-Holland province inhabitants brought the design with them and it was later exploited for use all over the Frisian province (though the typical Bildts farmhouse
Bildts farmhouse
Bildts farmhouses are of a characteristic right-angled type. This means that the house has been placed on a right angle with the barn. The reason for this is unknown, but it has been suggested that they were constructed this way so as to have a more logical location in relation to the farmlands and...
s do vary from Frisian farmhouses).
In 1715 another western area was diked, named the "Wester Bildtpollen
Wester Bildtpollen
In 1715 the western area of the county Het Bildt was dyked in order to reclaim it from the sea. It was named the '. From then on the area was protected from the sea by the Nieuwe Bildtdijk. On 12 March 1751 the complete area was sold...
". On 12 March 1751 the rest of this area was also sold. In 1754 the eastern part, the "Ooster Bildtpollen
Ooster Bildtpollen
Ooster Bildtpollen is the northern-east part of the Dutch county Het Bildt in Friesland. The dikework walling off the sea was completed in 1754. The western part is called the Wester Bildtpollen and the dike that protected these lands against the sea is called the "Nieuwe Bildtdijk". Just like the...
" was diked.
Today the "Oude Biltdijk" and the "Nieuwe Bildtdijk" are both covered with roads and houses; the road that runs across the old 14 kilometer long dike is the longest in the Netherlands.
External links
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