Sint Jacobiparochie
Encyclopedia
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.
St. Jacobiparochie was founded in the 16th century, largely by Dutch settlers from South Holland
. Today, both Dutch and West Frisian
are spoken in the town. The town was originally named Wijngaarden (not to be confused with Wijngaarden
in South Holland), while "St. Jacobiparochie" was the name used for the local Roman Catholic parish. Eventually, the name for the parish came to be used as the name for the town as well. The change in name may have been due in part to the fact that the soil in Het Bildt (Frisian sea-clay) was not suitable for growing grapes, making the original name (which means "Vineyard") inappropriate.
There was a station on the North Friesland Railway which opened in 1902 and closed to passengers in May 1935. It reopened to passengers in May 1940 and closed to passengers again in October 1942. Final closure took place in May 1966.
Het Bildt
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...
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...
, the Netherlands. It lies about 13 km. north 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...
and has approximately 1,700 inhabitants.
St. Jacobiparochie was founded in the 16th century, largely by Dutch settlers 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...
. Today, both Dutch and 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,...
are spoken in the town. The town was originally named Wijngaarden (not to be confused with 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...
in South Holland), while "St. Jacobiparochie" was the name used for the local Roman Catholic parish. Eventually, the name for the parish came to be used as the name for the town as well. The change in name may have been due in part to the fact that the soil in Het Bildt (Frisian sea-clay) was not suitable for growing grapes, making the original name (which means "Vineyard") inappropriate.
There was a station on the North Friesland Railway which opened in 1902 and closed to passengers in May 1935. It reopened to passengers in May 1940 and closed to passengers again in October 1942. Final closure took place in May 1966.