Heerenveen (, fry, It Hearrenfean ) is a

town A town is a human settlement. Towns are generally larger than villages and smaller than cities, though the criteria to distinguish between them vary considerably in different parts of the world. Origin and use The word "town" shares an o ...

and

municipality A municipality is usually a single administrative division having corporate status and powers of self-government or jurisdiction as granted by national and regional laws to which it is subordinate. The term ''municipality'' may also mean the ...

in the

province A province is almost always an administrative division within a country or state. The term derives from the ancient Roman ''provincia'', which was the major territorial and administrative unit of the Roman Empire's territorial possessions out ...

Friesland Friesland (, ; official fry, Fryslân ), historically and traditionally known as Frisia, is a province of the Netherlands located in the country's northern part. It is situated west of Groningen, northwest of Drenthe and Overijssel, north of ...

(Fryslân), in the Northern

Netherlands ) , anthem = ( en, "William of Nassau") , image_map = , map_caption = , subdivision_type = Sovereign state , subdivision_name = Kingdom of the Netherlands , established_title = Before independence , established_date = Spanish Netherl ...

. In 2021, the town had a population of 29,790 (1 January) while the municipality had a population 50,859 (1 July).

History

The town was established in 1551 by three lords as a location for the purpose of digging

peat Peat (), also known as turf (), is an accumulation of partially Decomposition, decayed vegetation or organic matter. It is unique to natural areas called peatlands, bogs, mires, Moorland, moors, or muskegs. The peatland ecosystem covers and ...

which was used for fuel, hence the name (''heer'' is "lord", ''veen'' is "peat"). Heerenveen was not one of the traditional eleven cities in

(Fryslân) as it did not have so-called

city rights Town privileges or borough rights were important features of European towns during most of the second millennium. The city law customary in Central Europe probably dates back to Italian models, which in turn were oriented towards the traditio ...

. However, it is now one of the larger municipalities of the province. The

windmill A windmill is a structure that converts wind power into rotational energy using vanes called sails or blades, specifically to mill grain (gristmills), but the term is also extended to windpumps, wind turbines, and other applications, in some ...

''Welgelegen'' or ''Tjepkema's Molen'' is the only survivor of seventeen which have stood in Heerenveen.

Population centres

Population as of 1 January 2018: Heerenveen (32,900), Akkrum (3406), Aldeboarn (1479),

Bontebok The bontebok (''Damaliscus pygargus'') is an antelope found in South Africa, Lesotho and Namibia. ''D. pygargus'' has two subspecies; the nominate subspecies (''D. p. pygargus''), occurring naturally in the Fynbos and Renosterveld areas of ...

(445), De Knipe (1470), Gersloot (280, together with Gersloot-Polder), Hoornsterzwaag (815), Jubbega (3510), Katlijk (630), Luinjeberd (450), Mildam (740), Nes (1104), Nieuwebrug (210), Nieuwehorne (1500), Nieuweschoot (180),

Oranjewoud Oranjewoud ( fry, Oranjewâld, literally "Orange Forest") is a small village in the Netherlands. It is located in the municipality of Heerenveen, Friesland. Oranjewoud had a population of 1570 in January 2017. It is known for Oranjewoud Palace. ...

(1610),

Oudehorne Oudehorne ( fry, Aldehoarne) is a village in Heerenveen in the province of Friesland, the Netherlands ) , anthem = ( en, "William of Nassau") , image_map = , map_caption = , subdivision_type = Sovereign state , subdivision_name = Ki ...

(840), Oudeschoot (1480), Terband (265) and

Tjalleberd Tjalleberd ( fry, Tsjalbert) is a village in Heerenveen in the province of Friesland, the Netherlands. It had a population of around 820 in January 2017. History The village was first mentioned in 1315 as Tyanlaberde, and means the village of Tjal ...

(800).

Hamlets

The hamlets are: Anneburen, Birstum, Brongergea, Easterboarn, Jinshuzen, Meskenwier, Oude Schouw (partially), Pean, Poppenhúzen, Schurega, Soarremoarre, Spitsendijk, Sythuzen, Warniahúzen en Welgelegen (partially). Heerenveen-plaats-OpenTopo.jpg, Map of the city of Heerenveen (2014) Gem-Heerenveen-OpenTopo.jpg, Topographic map of the municipality of Heerenveen

Museums

* Museum Belvédère,

modern art Modern art includes artistic work produced during the period extending roughly from the 1860s to the 1970s, and denotes the styles and philosophies of the art produced during that era. The term is usually associated with art in which the tradi ...

and

contemporary art Contemporary art is the art of today, produced in the second half of the 20th century or in the 21st century. Contemporary artists work in a globally influenced, culturally diverse, and technologically advancing world. Their art is a dynamic ...

Museum Heerenveen A museum ( ; plural museums or, rarely, musea) is a building or institution that Preservation (library and archival science), cares for and displays a collection (artwork), collection of artifacts and other objects of artistic, culture, cultu ...

, local history and culture

Transport

Railway station: Heerenveen

Local government

Sports

Heerenveen is famous for its sporting accomplishments and world class sports accommodations. These include the Abe Lenstra football stadium and the

Thialf Thialf is an ice arena in Heerenveen, Netherlands. Thialf consists of the Thialf-hal (a 12,500-capacity speed skating venue) and the Elfstedenhal (a 2,500-capacity ice hockey venue). Thialf is used for long track speed skating, short track speed ...

speed skating Speed skating is a competitive form of ice skating in which the competitors race each other in travelling a certain distance on skates. Types of speed skating are long track speed skating, short track speed skating, and marathon speed skati ...

arena An arena is a large enclosed platform, often circular or oval-shaped, designed to showcase theatre, musical performances, or sporting events. It is composed of a large open space surrounded on most or all sides by tiered seating for spectator ...

which was one of the first indoor 400m ice rinks in the world, and where annually held international events draw large crowds. Thialf is also home to the city's ice hockey team, the

Heerenveen Flyers The UNIS Flyers are an ice hockey club located in Heerenveen, Netherlands. The team competes in the BeNe League and also takes part in the Dutch Cup. Home games are played in the ice hockey arena which forms part of the Thialf complex. History ...

. The town's

football Football is a family of team sports that involve, to varying degrees, kicking a ball to score a goal. Unqualified, the word ''football'' normally means the form of football that is the most popular where the word is used. Sports commonly ...

team, SC Heerenveen, plays in the first tier and has been a steady presence in the Europa League, topped by the team's biggest achievement when they qualified for the

UEFA Champions League The UEFA Champions League (abbreviated as UCL, or sometimes, UEFA CL) is an annual club football competition organised by the Union of European Football Associations (UEFA) and contested by top-division European clubs, deciding the competi ...

in 2000. In 2006, the "Sportstad" (Sport City) project was completed, which included a gymnastics hall, swimming pool and an extension to the football stadium, all of which are clustered together. The Abe Lenstra stadium is unusual because its supporter capacity is larger than the number of inhabitants of the town. One of the few football venues that shares this distinction is Stade Félix Bollaert in

Lens A lens is a transmissive optical device which focuses or disperses a light beam by means of refraction. A simple lens consists of a single piece of transparent material, while a compound lens consists of several simple lenses (''elements ...

France France (), officially the French Republic ( ), is a country primarily located in Western Europe. It also comprises of Overseas France, overseas regions and territories in the Americas and the Atlantic Ocean, Atlantic, Pacific Ocean, Pac ...

. Several

American football American football (referred to simply as football in the United States and Canada), also known as gridiron, is a team sport played by two teams of eleven players on a rectangular field with goalposts at each end. The offense, the team wi ...

venues, mostly

college football College football (french: Football universitaire) refers to gridiron football played by teams of student athletes. It was through college football play that American football in the United States, American football rules first gained populari ...

venues, also share this distinction.

Notable residents

Édouard Manet - Madame Manet ou Piano - 2

Wilhelm Heinrich, Duke of Saxe-Eisenach Wilhelm Heinrich, Duke of Saxe-Eisenach (10 November 1691 – 26 July 1741), was a duke of Saxe-Eisenach. He was born in Oranjewoud, the eldest and only surviving son of Johann Wilhelm, Duke of Saxe-Eisenach and his first wife Amalie of Nas ...

(1691 in Oranjewoud – 1741) a Duke of Saxe-Eisenach * Suzanne Manet (born 'Leenhoff', 1829–1906), pianist and opera singer, wife of

Édouard Manet Édouard Manet (, ; ; 23 January 1832 – 30 April 1883) was a French modernist painter. He was one of the first 19th-century artists to paint modern life, as well as a pivotal figure in the transition from Realism to Impressionism. Bor ...

Geerhardus Vos Geerhardus Johannes Vos (March 14, 1862 – August 13, 1949) was a Dutch-American Calvinist theologian and one of the most distinguished representatives of the Princeton Theology. He is sometimes called the father of Reformed Biblical Theolog ...

(1862–1949), a Dutch-American Calvinist theologian of the Princeton Theology * Cissy van Marxveldt (1889 in Oranjewoud – 1948) a Dutch writer of children's books *

Albert Gillis von Baumhauer Albert Gillis von Baumhauer (Heerenveen, October 1891 – Alder, State of Washington, 18 March 1939) was a Dutch aviation pioneer notable for his design of the first Dutch helicopter and the related inventions, in particular the cyclic and collect ...

(1891–1939) a Dutch aviation pioneer, designed the first Dutch helicopter * Eelco van Kleffens (1894–1983) a Dutch politician and diplomat *

Herman Zanstra Herman Zanstra (November 3, 1894, Schoterland – October 2, 1972, Haarlem) was a Dutch astronomer. Zanstra was born near Heerenveen in Friesland. In 1917 he graduated with an Engineer's degree in chemical engineering from the Delft Ins ...

(1894 in Schoterland – 1972) a Frisian/Dutch astronomer *

Fedde Schurer Fedde Schurer (; ) (Drachten, 25 July 1898 – Heerenveen, 19 March 1968) was a Dutch schoolteacher, journalist, language activist and politician,Klaes Dykstra and Bouke Oldenhof, ''Lyts Hânboek fan de Fryske Literatuer'', Leeuwarden (Afûk), 19 ...

(1898–1968), journalist, poet and politician and poet in the

West Frisian language West Frisian, or simply Frisian ( fy, link=no, Frysk or ; nl, Fries , also ), is a West Germanic language spoken mostly in the province of Friesland () in the north of the Netherlands, mostly by those of Frisian ancestry. It is the most wid ...

Adrianus van Kleffens Adrianus van Kleffens (14 October 1899 – 2 Augustus 1973) was a Dutch civil servant and judge. He was a judge at the European Court of Justice from 1952 to 1958. Biography Van Kleffens was born to Henricus Cato Van Kleffens and Anna de Graaf ...

(1899–1973) a judge at the

European Court of Justice The European Court of Justice (ECJ, french: Cour de Justice européenne), formally just the Court of Justice, is the supreme court of the European Union in matters of European Union law. As a part of the Court of Justice of the European U ...

1952/1958 * Klaas Runia (1926 in Oudeschoot – 2006) a Dutch theologian, churchman and journalist * Wim Duisenberg (1935–2005), politician and

President of the European Central Bank The president of the European Central Bank is the head of the European Central Bank (ECB), the main institution responsible for the management of the euro and monetary policy in the Eurozone of the European Union (EU). The current presiden ...

1998/2003 * T. S. van Albada (born 1936 in Akkrum) a Dutch astronomer and academic * Gretta Duisenberg (born 1942) a Dutch pro-Palestinian political activist * Jacob de Haan (born 1959), a Dutch contemporary composer known for wind music *

Tineke Postma Tineke Postma (born August 31, 1978) is a Dutch jazz saxophonist. Career At the age of eleven, Postma began playing the saxophone. She studied at the Amsterdam Conservatory between 1996 and 2003 and obtained a master's degree in music. Her teach ...

(born 1978), a Dutch saxophonist *

Jan Huitema Jan Huitema (born 5 July 1984) is a Dutch politician and Member of the European Parliament (MEP) from the Netherlands since July 2014. He is a member of the People's Party for Freedom and Democracy, part of Renew Europe. He was reelected in 2019. ...

(born 1984), politician and

Member of the European Parliament A Member of the European Parliament (MEP) is a person who has been elected to serve as a popular representative in the European Parliament. When the European Parliament (then known as the Common Assembly of the ECSC) first met in 1952, its ...

(MEP)

Sport

* Abe Lenstra (1920–1985), a Dutch football player with 730 club caps * Foppe de Haan (born 1943), football coach and politician * Margriet Zegers (born 1954), a retired Dutch field hockey defender, team gold medallist at the

1984 Summer Olympics The 1984 Summer Olympics (officially the Games of the XXIII Olympiad and also known as Los Angeles 1984) were an international multi-sport event held from July 28 to August 12, 1984, in Los Angeles, California, United States. It marked the sec ...

* Franke Sloothaak (born 1958) a German show jumping Olympic champion *

Nico-Jan Hoogma Nico-Jan Hoogma (born 26 October 1968) is a Dutch former professional footballer who played as a defender. He started his career with SC Cambuur and after three years moved to FC Twente. In 1998, he moved to Germany, where he played for Hamburge ...

(born 1968) a former football defender with 517 club caps *

Falko Zandstra Falko Zandstra (born 27 December 1971) is a former Dutch speed skater. Because of his thin legs he was also called ''de Gespierde Spijker'' which translates to ''the Muscular Nail''. Biography Zandstra was born in Heerenveen, Friesland. He was a ...

(born 1971), a former Dutch speed skater, silver medallist at the

1992 Winter Olympics ) , nations = 64 , athletes = 1,801 (1313 men, 488 women) , events = 57 in 6 sports (12 disciplines) , opening = 8 February 1992 , closing = 23 February 1992 , opened_by = President François Mitterrand , cauldron ...

and bronze medallist the

1994 Winter Olympics The 1994 Winter Olympics, officially known as the XVII Olympic Winter Games ( no, De 17. olympiske vinterleker; nn, Dei 17. olympiske vinterleikane) and commonly known as Lillehammer '94, was an international winter multi-sport event held fr ...

* Carien Kleibeuker (born 1978) a Dutch long-distance speed skater, bronze medallist at the

2014 Winter Olympics , ''Zharkie. Zimnie. Tvoi'') , nations = 88 , events = 98 in 7 sports (15 disciplines) , athletes = 2,873 , opening = 7 February 2014 , closing = 23 February 2014 , opened_by = President Vladimir Putin , cauldron = , stadium = Fisht Olympi ...

* Epke Zonderland (born 1986), a gymnast and gold medallist at the

2012 Summer Olympics The 2012 Summer Olympics (officially the Games of the XXX Olympiad and also known as London 2012) was an international multi-sport event held from 27 July to 12 August 2012 in London, England, United Kingdom. The first event, th ...

Sven Kramer Sven Kramer (; born 23 April 1986) is a retired Dutch long track speed skater who has won an all time record nine World Allround Championships as well as a record ten European Allround Championships. He is the Olympic champion of the 5000 mete ...

(born 1986), long track speed skater, three time Olympic champion in the 5000 meters *

Vladislav Bykanov Vladislav Bykanov ( he, ולדיסלב ביקנוב, uk, Владислав Биканов) (born 19 November 1989) is an Israeli Olympic short track speed skater. He won the gold medal in the 3,000m at the 2015 and 2018 European Championships. ...

(born 1989) an Israeli Olympic short track speed skater, lives in Heerenveen * Sanne Wevers (born 1991), an artistic gymnast, gold medallist at the

2016 Summer Olympics ) , nations = 207 (including IOA and EOR teams) , athletes = 11,238 , events = 306 in 28 sports (41 disciplines) , opening = 5 August 2016 , closing = 21 August 2016 , opened_by = Vice President Michel Temer , cauldron = Vanderlei Cordeiro de ...

Antoinette de Jong Antoinette Rijpma-de Jong (; born 6 April 1995) is a Dutch speed skater. She won the bronze medal in the 3000 m at the 2018 Winter Olympics in Pyeongchang, South Korea. She also competed at the 2014 Winter Olympics in Sochi, where she placed sev ...

(born 1995) a Dutch speed skater, bronze medallist at the

2018 Winter Olympics , nations = 93 , athletes = 2,922 (1,680 men and 1,242 women) , events = 102 in 7 sports (15 disciplines) , opening = , closing = , opened_by = President Moon Jae-in , cauldron = Kim Yun-a , stadium = Pyeongchang Olympic Stadium , wint ...

Lisa Top Lisa Evelien Top (born 13 August 1996) is a Dutch artistic gymnast. A Netherlands women's national gymnastics team, Senior National Team member since 2012, she participated in both the 2014 World Artistic Gymnastics Championships, 2014 and 2015 W ...

(born 1996), a Dutch artistic gymnast *

Aafke Soet Aafke Soet (born 23 November 1997) is a Dutch former professional racing cyclist, who last rode for UCI Women's Continental Team in 2021 and 2022. Before cycling, she was a speed skater who had represented the Netherlands at the 2012 Winter You ...

(born 1997), former short track speed skater, now cyclist * Yasser Seirawan (born 1960), American/Syrian chess grandmaster and champion known for his excellent books and commentary on chess games, * Andries Noppert (born 1994), Dutch National Team Goalkeeper World Cup 2022.

Twin cities

Heereveen's longstanding connection with

Rishon LeZion Rishon LeZion ( he, רִאשׁוֹן לְצִיּוֹן , ''lit.'' First to Zion, Arabic: راشون لتسيون) is a city in Israel, located along the central Israeli coastal plain south of Tel Aviv. It is part of the Gush Dan metropolitan ...

Israel Israel (; he, יִשְׂרָאֵל, ; ar, إِسْرَائِيل, ), officially the State of Israel ( he, מְדִינַת יִשְׂרָאֵל, label=none, translit=Medīnat Yīsrāʾēl; ), is a country in Western Asia. It is situated ...

ended in 2016 after the supporting organizations shut down in both countries.

Gallery

File:Abe Lenstra Stadion 08c.JPG, Abe Lenstra Stadion, football stadium File:21169 Heerenveen Crackstate 2.jpg, Town hall File:Museumbelvedereoranjewoud.jpg, Museum Belvédère File:Heerenveen panorama 01.jpg, Heerenveen panorama

References

External links

* * * {{Authority control Municipalities of Friesland Populated places in Friesland Populated places established in 1551 1551 establishments in the Holy Roman Empire 16th-century establishments in the Netherlands