Dokkum is a Dutch

fortified A fortification is a military construction or building designed for the defense of territories in warfare, and is also used to establish rule in a region during peacetime. The term is derived from Latin ''fortis'' ("strong") and ''facere' ...

city in the municipality of

Noardeast-Fryslân Noardeast-Fryslân is a municipality of Friesland in the northern Netherlands. It was established 1 January 2019 and consists of the former municipalities of Dongeradeel, Ferwerderadiel and Kollumerland en Nieuwkruisland, all three of which di ...

in the province of

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 ...

. It has 12,669 inhabitants (February 8, 2020). The fortifications of Dokkum are well preserved and are known as the ''bolwerken'' (bulwarks). It is the fifth most popular shopping city in Friesland. It also had the smallest hospital in the Netherlands. __TOC__

History

The best-known event in Dokkum's history is the martyrdom of the Anglo-Saxon missionary

Saint Boniface Boniface, OSB ( la, Bonifatius; 675 – 5 June 754) was an English Benedictine monk and leading figure in the Anglo-Saxon mission to the Germanic parts of the Frankish Empire during the eighth century. He organised significant foundations o ...

in 754. Oliver of Cologne preached the

Fifth Crusade The Fifth Crusade (1217–1221) was a campaign in a series of Crusades by Western Europeans to reacquire Jerusalem and the rest of the Holy Land by first conquering Egypt, ruled by the powerful Ayyubid sultanate, led by Al-Adil I, al-Adil, brothe ...

in Dokkum in 1214 and Dokkum sent a contingent; the crescent in the coat of arms of Dokkum refers to this event. Dokkum acquired

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 ...

in 1298. In 1572 Dokkum was sacked by the Spaniards after it had joined the

Dutch Revolt The Eighty Years' War or Dutch Revolt ( nl, Nederlandse Opstand) ( c.1566/1568–1648) was an armed conflict in the Habsburg Netherlands between disparate groups of rebels and the Spanish government. The causes of the war included the Ref ...

. In 1597, the

Admiralty of Friesland The Admiralty of Friesland or Frisian Admiralty ( Dutch: ''Admiraliteit van Friesland'' or ''Friese Admiraliteit''; West Frisian: ''Fryske Admiraliteit'') was one of the five Dutch admiralties of the Dutch Republic. Set up on 6 March 1596, it wa ...

was established in Dokkum. However, it was moved to Harlingen in 1645. In 1971 the city was included in the list of Dutch 'Urban and village conservation areas'. In 1923, when Catholics in the Netherlands were not allowed to engage in public expressions of faith such as

procession A procession is an organized body of people walking in a formal or ceremonial manner. History Processions have in all peoples and at all times been a natural form of public celebration, as forming an orderly and impressive ceremony. Religious ...

s, a processional park was built south-east of the city center, the Boniface park. Central in the park is the so-called Brouwersbron, the brewers' well, which

Titus Brandsma Titus Brandsma, OCarm (born ''Anno Sjoerd Brandsma''; 23 February 1881 – 26 July 1942) was a Dutch Carmelite friar, Catholic priest and professor of philosophy. Brandsma was vehemently opposed to Nazi ideology and spoke out against it many t ...

and others (incorrectly) identified as the well that sprang up after the saint's martyrdom. A chapel dedicated to Boniface was built in 1934. Brandsma, a Carmelite priest who was murdered by the Nazis in Dachau in 1942, also designed the park's

Stations of the Cross The Stations of the Cross or the Way of the Cross, also known as the Way of Sorrows or the Via Crucis, refers to a series of images depicting Jesus Christ on the day of Crucifixion of Jesus, his crucifixion and accompanying prayers. The station ...

, which were finished in 1949. Before 2019, the city was part of the

Dongeradeel Dongeradeel (; fy, Dongeradiel ) is a former municipality in the northern Netherlands. In 2019 it merged with the municipalities of Ferwerderadiel and Kollumerland en Nieuwkruisland to form the new municipality Noardeast-Fryslân. History Donge ...

municipality.

Architecture

City hall

The city hall in Dokkum was built in 1610.

Churches

* Grote of Sint-Martinuskerk which is from the 16th century. * Sint-Bonifatiuskerk from 1871. * Bonifatiuskapel is from 1934

Transport

Dokkum had a station (''Dokkum-Aalsum'') on the

North Friesland Railway The Noord-Friesche Locaalspoorweg-Maatschappij (North Friesland Railway) was a railway serving the sparsely populated north of the Dutch province of Friesland. It was operated by the North Friesland Local Railway Company (Dutch: ''Noord-Friesche Lo ...

, which opened in 1901. It became the terminus for passenger services in May 1935 and closed to passengers in July 1936. The station reopened to passengers in May 1940 and closed to passengers in July 1942. Freight services ceased in 1975. There is still a bus station in Dokkum.

Urban development

The latest neighbourhood is called the 'Trije Terpen'. At the Trije Terpen is also the newest shopping area of Dokkum called, Zuiderschans. Other construction works in other parts of the city are also taking place, such as the Lyceumpark, the Fonteinslanden, the Veiling and the Hogedijken. In the future the industrial park, Betterwird, will expand even more to the west. It's an industrial park with more than 70 companies. In 2013, the construction of the Central Axis began. This is a road with a fast connection and few obstacles between Dokkum and Drachten. The road was delivered in 2016.

Population

The population of Dokkum increased by 5,378 people between 1960 and 2013. In recent years, the population has fluctuated around 12,500 inhabitants.

Sport

In the 200 km ice skating marathon known as the

Elfstedentocht The ''Elfstedentocht'' (; West Frisian: ''Alvestêdetocht'' , English: ''Eleven cities tour'') is a long-distance tour skating event on natural ice, almost long, which is held both as a speed skating competition (with 300 contestants) and a lei ...

, Dokkum is known as the ''keerpunt'' (turning-point in

Dutch Dutch commonly refers to: * Something of, from, or related to the Netherlands * Dutch people () * Dutch language () Dutch may also refer to: Places * Dutch, West Virginia, a community in the United States * Pennsylvania Dutch Country People E ...

), because it is where the speedskaters turn and head back to

Leeuwarden Leeuwarden (; fy, Ljouwert, longname=yes /; Town Frisian: ''Liwwadden''; Leeuwarder dialect: ''Leewarden'') is a city and municipality in Friesland, Netherlands, with a population of 123,107 (2019). It is the provincial capital and seat of th ...

. There are two different soccer clubs in Dokkum, VV Dokkum and Be Quick Dokkum.

Windmills

In 1652, Dokkum had five windmills, these were all

post mill The post mill is the earliest type of European windmill. Its defining feature is that the whole body of the mill that houses the machinery is mounted on a single vertical post, around which it can be turned to bring the sails into the wind. All ...

s.Tonneel der Steden; Blaeu, 1652 Dokkum has two windmills, cap mills, that are preserved and both of them are open to the public by appointment. They are named ''Zeldenrust'' and ''De Hoop''. A third mill, ''De Marmeerin'' stood by the Woudvaart outside the town. Since 2014 the mill was moved to be restored to working order. After restoration it is to be rebuilt at De sûkerei open-air museum in

Damwâld Damwâld (Dutch: Damwoude) is a village in the Dantumadiel municipality of Friesland, in the Netherlands. In 2020 it had 5630 citizens. This number of citizens makes Damwâld the largest village in the municipality of Dantumadiel. History The pr ...

. File:Zeldenrust Molen Dokkum 08.JPG, ''Zeldenrust'' File:De Hoop Molen Dokkum 06.JPG, ''De Hoop'' Dokkum, molen Zeldenrust. 20-09-2021. (actm.) 04.jpg, ''Zeldenrust'' Dokkum, woonhuis naast molen Zeldenrust. 20-09-2021. (actm.) 01.jpg, house next to mill Zeldenrust

Gallery

File:Dokkum, straatzicht Suupmarkt met RM13187 IMG 7697 2020-09-20 14.24.jpg, Inner harbour File:Dokkum, straatzicht4 foto1 2009-09-19 13.04.JPG, View to a street File:De Zijl over the Dokkumer Grootdiep.jpg, City's center around De Zijl, Dokkumer Grootdiep flowing underneath File:De Oud Stadhuis Dokkum.jpg, Old townhouse in the city centre File:Bonifatiusbyld by de Bonifatiuskapel, Dokkum.jpg, Statue of Saint Boniface near Saint Boniface Chapel File:Dokkum - Vleesmarkt, Ecke Wortelhaven.jpg, Numerous footbridges in the centre File:Zuiderbollwerk 95, Dokkum.jpg, Wharf of the former Frisian Admiralty File:Bonifatiustsjerke, Dokkum.jpg, Saint Boniface Church (1871) in the centre of Dokkum File:Grote of Sint-Martinuskerk - Dokkum.jpg, Grote of Sint-Martinus Church (Dokkum)

Notable Dokkumers

Dokkum was the residence for much of her career of the pioneering midwife Catharina Geertruida Schrader (1656–1746). Other famous Dokkumers include: *

Gemma Frisius Gemma Frisius (; born Jemme Reinerszoon; December 9, 1508 – May 25, 1555) was a Frisian physician, mathematician, cartographer, philosopher, and instrument maker. He created important globes, improved the mathematical instruments of his ...

(1508-1555), scientist * Lieuwe van Aitzema (1600-1669), prominent diplomat and historian *

Ulrik Huber Ulrik Huber (13 March 1636 in Dokkum – 8 November 1694 in Franeker), also known as Ulrich Huber or Ulricus Huber, was a professor of law at the University of Franeker and a political philosopher. Huber studied in Franeker, Utrecht and Heidelber ...

(1636-1694), lawyer *

Rein Jan Hoekstra Rein Jan Hoekstra (born 1941) was born in Dokkum. He graduated from the University of Groningen in 1965, majoring in Law. He has since worked as an attorney (1965–1970), Chief of Staff to Prime Minister Ruud Lubbers in 1983, and Secretary Gener ...

(1941), lawyer, member of the

Council of State of the Netherlands The Council of State ( nl, ) is a constitutionally established advisory body in the Netherlands to the government and States General that officially consists of members of the royal family and Crown-appointed members generally having political ...

Jan Posthuma Jan Marcus Posthuma (born 11 June 1963 in Dokkum, Friesland) is a retired volleyball player from the Netherlands, who represented his native country in three consecutive Summer Olympics, starting in 1988 in Seoul, South Korea. After having won t ...

(1963), 1996 volleyball Olympic gold medalist * Sipke Jan Bousema (1976), TV-presenter *

Theo Pijper Theo Pijper (born 11 February 1980) is a Dutch motorcycle speedway rider. Career Born in Dokkum, Netherlands, Pijper first rode a motorbike at the age of five. He was a successful long track rider before starting his speedway career. He made his ...

(1980), international speedway rider *

(672-754) Exeter, Dokkum * Dirk Rafaelsz Camphuysen (1586-1627) Gorinchem, Dokkum * Catharina Geertruida Schrader (1656-1746) Bentheim, Dokkum *

Focko Ukena Focko Ukena ( Neermoor, 1360 or 1370 – 1435) was an East Frisian chieftain (''hovetling'') who played an important part in the struggle between the Vetkopers and Schieringers in the provinces of Groningen and Friesland. Aside from this he ...

(1370 – 1435), East Frisian chieftain (hoveling), conquered Dokkum

Mayors

* Albert Jonker (1878- 1954) * Sybren van Tuinen (1913-1993)

References

Literature

* {{Authority control Noardeast-Fryslân Cities in the Netherlands Cities in Friesland Populated places in Friesland