Jonkerslân () is a village consisting of around 295 inhabitants in the municipality of

Opsterland Opsterland (; ) is a municipality in the province of Friesland in the Netherlands. Population centres Drachten-Azeven is an industrial zone of Drachten located in Opsterland. Hamlets The hamlets within the municipality are: Ald Beets, Allards ...

in the east of

Friesland Friesland ( ; ; official ), historically and traditionally known as Frisia (), named after the Frisians, is a Provinces of the Netherlands, province of the Netherlands located in the country's northern part. It is situated west of Groningen (p ...

, the

Netherlands , Terminology of the Low Countries, informally Holland, is a country in Northwestern Europe, with Caribbean Netherlands, overseas territories in the Caribbean. It is the largest of the four constituent countries of the Kingdom of the Nether ...

. The village was first mentioned in 1899 as Jonkersland, and means land of the ''

Jonkheer (female equivalent: ; in the masculine only; ''jonkvrouw'' is used in the feminine, even in French; ) is an honorific in the Low Countries denoting the lowest rank within the nobility. In the Netherlands, this in general concerns a prefix used ...

'' which is probably a reference to

Juw Dekama Juw Dekema (1449 or 1450 – 24 October 1523) was a Frisian chieftain and Schieringer in Weidum and Baard, who was elected as ''potestaat'' of Friesland in 1494 at the diet of Sneek. In 1498 he asked Albrecht of Saxony to rule the land. Juw ...

. Jonkerslân developed into a

peat Peat 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. ''Sphagnum'' moss, also called peat moss, is one of the most ...

colony in the 18th century. In 1988, it was awarded a village status.

References

Populated places in Friesland Geography of Opsterland {{Friesland-geo-stub