Stede Broec is a municipality

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 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...

, in the province of North Holland

North Holland

North Holland |West Frisian]]: Noard-Holland) is a province situated on the North Sea in the northwest part of the Netherlands. The provincial capital is Haarlem and its largest city is Amsterdam.-Geography:...

 and the region of West-Frisia

West Friesland (region)

West Friesland is a contemporary region in the northwestern Netherlands, in the province of North Holland.The region covers an area of about , delineated by the Westfriese Omringdijk...

. The name Stede Broec derives from "stede" (meaning city

City

A city is a relatively large and permanent settlement. Although there is no agreement on how a city is distinguished from a town within general English language meanings, many cities have a particular administrative, legal, or historical status based on local law.For example, in the U.S...

) and "broec" (meaning swamp

Swamp

A swamp is a wetland with some flooding of large areas of land by shallow bodies of water. A swamp generally has a large number of hammocks, or dry-land protrusions, covered by aquatic vegetation, or vegetation that tolerates periodical inundation. The two main types of swamp are "true" or swamp...

).

Population centres

The municipality of Stede Broec consists of the following cities, towns, villages and/or districts: Bovenkarspel

Bovenkarspel

Bovenkarspel is a town in the Netherlands, in the province of North Holland. Until 1979, it was a separate municipality.-Legionella outbreak:...

, Broekerhaven, Grootebroek

Grootebroek

Grootebroek is a town in the Dutch province of North Holland. It is located in the municipality of Stede Broec.Grootebroek was a separate municipality until 1979....

, Lutjebroek

Lutjebroek

Lutjebroek is a village in the Netherlands. It is part of the municipality of Stede Broec. Lutjebroek has a population of just over 2000 people.In colloquial Dutch, Lutjebroek has become synonymous with "any insignificant speck on the map"...

.

History

Grootebroek and Bovenkarspel together received city rights

City rights in the Netherlands

City rights are a medieval phenomenon in the history of the Low Countries. A liegelord, usually a count, duke or similar member of high nobility, granted a settlement he owned certain town privileges that settlements without city rights did not have....

 in 1364, under the name of Broek. In 1402 Lutjebroek shared in the city rights and Hoogkarspel

Drechterland

Drechterland is a municipality in the Netherlands, in the province of North Holland and the region of West-Frisia. The municipality was formed in 1979, in a merger of the former municipalities of Hoogkarspel, Westwoud en Oosterblokker. Its original name, Bangert, was changed to "Drechterland" in...

 joined in 1403. Andijk

Andijk

Andijk is a former municipality and a village bordering Lake IJssel in the Netherlands, in the province of North Holland and the region of West-Frisia. Since 1 January 2011 Andijk has been part of Medemblik municipality....

 was the fifth to join in 1786. In 1825 the city was dissociated.

Stede Broec is located in the region of West Friesland

West Friesland (region)

West Friesland is a contemporary region in the northwestern Netherlands, in the province of North Holland.The region covers an area of about , delineated by the Westfriese Omringdijk...

 consisting of all the land surrounded by the Westfriese Omringdijk

Westfriese Omringdijk

The Westfriese Omringdijk is a dyke system that protected the region of Westflinge, part of the historical region of West-Frisia...

, a dike which then protected the land against the dangers of the tides of the Zuider Zee

Zuider Zee

The Zuiderzee was a shallow bay of the North Sea in the northwest of the Netherlands, extending about 100 km inland and at most 50 km wide, with an overall depth of about 4 to 5 metres and a coastline of about 300 km . It covered...

.

Local government

The municipal council of Stede Broec consists of 19 seats, which are divided as follows (as of March 3rd 2010):

• CDA
  Christian Democratic Appeal
  The Christian Democratic Appeal is a centre-right Dutch Christian democratic political party. It suffered severe losses in the 2010 elections and fell from the first to the fourth place...
  
   - 5 seats
• Open en Duidelijk Stede Broec - 4 seats
• PvdA
  Labour Party (Netherlands)
  The Labour Party , is a social-democratic political party in the Netherlands. Since the 2003 Dutch General Election, the PvdA has been the second largest political party in the Netherlands. The PvdA was a coalition member in the fourth Balkenende cabinet following 22 February 2007...
  
  /GroenLinks - 3 seats
• Gemeentebelangen - 2 seats
• Onafhankelijke Partij - 2 seats
• VVD
  People's Party for Freedom and Democracy
  The People's Party for Freedom and Democracy is a conservative-liberal political party located in the Netherlands. The VVD supports private enterprise in the Netherlands and is often perceived as an economic liberal party in contrast to the social-liberal Democrats 66 alongside which it sits in...
  
  - 2 seats