Lutjebroek is a village in the province of
North Holland
North Holland (, ) is a Provinces of the Netherlands, province of the Netherlands in the northwestern part of the country. It is located on the North Sea, north of South Holland and Utrecht (province), Utrecht, and west of Friesland and Flevola ...
,
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 ...
, and is part of the municipality of
Stede Broec
Stede Broec (; West Frisian Dutch: Stee Broek) is a municipality in the Netherlands, in the province of North Holland and the region of West-Frisia. The name ''Stede Broec'' derives from ''stede'' (meaning city) and ''broec'' (meaning swamp).
Po ...
. Located in the region of
West Friesland, the village has a population of just over 2,000 people.
Etymology
The name Lutjebroek is derived from
Old Dutch
In linguistics, Old Dutch ( Modern Dutch: ') or Old Low Franconian (Modern Dutch: ') is the set of dialects that evolved from Frankish spoken in the Low Countries during the Early Middle Ages, from around the 6th Page 55: "''Uit de zesde eeu ...
elements: ''"lutje",'' a regional form of ''luttel'', meaning small, and ''"broek"'', an archaic word for
swamp
A swamp is a forested wetland.Keddy, P.A. 2010. Wetland Ecology: Principles and Conservation (2nd edition). Cambridge University Press, Cambridge, UK. 497 p. Swamps are considered to be transition zones because both land and water play a role in ...
or
marshland
In ecology, a marsh is a wetland that is dominated by herbaceous plants rather than by woody plants.Keddy, P.A. 2010. Wetland Ecology: Principles and Conservation (2nd edition). Cambridge University Press, Cambridge, UK. 497 p More in general ...
. The name originally referred to a small swamp in the area where the village was first settled.
In modern Dutch, however, the word ''broek'' is more commonly refers to pants, which gives the name ''Lutjebroek'' a humorous double meaning: "little pants." This linguistic coincidence is made even more amusing by the presence of the neighboring town
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. The town directly borders Bovenkarspel to the east and Lutjebroek to the west.
...
, which under modern interpretation translates to "large pants."
Due to its amusing name, ''Lutjebroek'' has become a lighthearted colloquial reference in Dutch, used to describe "any insignificant speck on the map".
Gallery
File:Diaconiewoningen anno 1850. De landelijke bouwkunst in Hollands Noorderkwartier, afb. 300, pag. 238. - Lutjebroek - 20470509 - RCE.jpg, Workhouses
In Britain and Ireland, a workhouse (, lit. "poor-house") was a total institution where those unable to support themselves financially were offered accommodation and employment. In Scotland, they were usually known as poorhouses. The earliest ...
(anno 1850)
File:Sint-Nicolaaskerk (Lutjebroek)2.JPG, Sint-Nicolaaskerk (Saint Nicholas Church)
File:Voorgevel van winkel met houten voorschot - Lutjebroek - 20406691 - RCE.jpg, Historic home in Lutjebroek
Populated places in North Holland
Stede Broec
{{NorthHolland-geo-stub