Opsterland (; fry, Opsterlân) is a

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 go ...

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 ou ...

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 ...

in the

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 ...

Population centres

Drachten-Azeven is an industrial zone of Drachten located in Opsterland.

Hamlets

The hamlets within the municipality are: Ald Beets, Allardsoog (partially), De Hanebuert, De Koaibosk,

Easterein Easterein ( nl, Oosterend ) is a village in the municipality Súdwest-Fryslân in the province of Friesland, the Netherlands. It is southeast of Wommels and southwest of Itens, in the middle of Bolsward, Sneek, Leeuwarden and Franeker. The cent ...

, Foarwurk, Haneburen, Heidehuizen, Hemrikerverlaat, Klein Groningen, Kortezwaag, Moskou (partially),

Nieuwe Vaart The Nieuwe Vaart or Nieuwevaart is a 17th-century canal in Amsterdam that runs from the center to Amsterdam-Oost (Amsterdam East). Kromhout Museum is located on the Nieuwe Vaart. On this site, the Westkap is still used as a shipyard, but the Oos ...

, Petersburg (partially), Rolbrêge, Selmien, Sparjebird, Ulesprong, Ureterp aan de Vaart, Vosseburen, Welgelegen (partially), Wijngaarden and Wijnjeterpverlaat.

Topography

''Dutch Topographic map of the municipality of Opsterland, June 2015''

International relations

Twin towns — sister cities

Opsterland is twinned with: *

Ra'anana Ra'anana ( he, רַעֲנָנָּה, lit. "Fresh") is a city in the southern Sharon Plain of the Central District of Israel. It was founded in 1922 as an American-Jewish settlement, 1 km south of the village of Tabsur, where an important ...

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 ...

''(since 1963)'' *

Beit Sahour Beit Sahour or Beit Sahur ( ar, بيت ساحور pronounced ; Palestine grid 170/123) is a Palestinian town east of Bethlehem, in the Bethlehem Governorate of the State of Palestine. The city is under the administration of the Palestinian Nation ...

, Palestine The choice of twinning with both an Israeli city and a Palestinian one is Opsterland's modest contribution to trying to solve the

Israeli-Palestinian Conflict Israelis ( he, יִשְׂרָאֵלִים‎, translit=Yīśrāʾēlīm; ar, الإسرائيليين, translit=al-ʾIsrāʾīliyyin) are the citizens and nationals of the State of Israel. The country's populace is composed primarily of Jew ...

. As well as bilateral contacts with both of their partners, the Dutch officials try to encourage trilateral meetings and induce greater contact between Ra'anana and Beit Sahour, which are located at a short geographical distance from each other but are separated by conflict and mutual mistrust. In 2012 Francisca Ravestein, Nahum Hofree, Hani Al-Hayik - the mayors, respectively, of Opsterland, Ra'anana and Beit Sahour - jointly inaugurated a photo exhibition at the municipal building in Opsterland.Ra'anana Municipality website

Notable people

Tinco Lycklama (1837-1900) - par Emile Vernet-Lecomte

Tinco Martinus Lycklama à Nijeholt Tinco Martinus Lycklama à Nijeholt (9 July 1837, in Beetsterzwaag – 7 December 1900, in Cannes) was a Frisian aristocrat, adventurer, writer and socialite, also considered one of the first Dutch orientalists. At the age of 28, he took a three-ye ...

(1837 in Beetsterzwaag - 1900) a Frisian aristocrat, adventurer, writer, socialite and a Dutch orientalist * Sytze Wierda (1839 in Hemrik – 1911) an architect and engineer, worked on the architecture of the

South African Republic The South African Republic ( nl, Zuid-Afrikaansche Republiek, abbreviated ZAR; af, Suid-Afrikaanse Republiek), also known as the Transvaal Republic, was an independent Boer Republic in Southern Africa which existed from 1852 to 1902, when it ...

* Tjeerd Bottema (1884 in Langezwaag – 1978) a painter, illustrator and book cover designer *

Hein Vos Hendrik "Hein" Vos (5 July 1903 – 23 April 1972) was a Dutch politician of the defunct Social Democratic Workers' Party (SDAP) and later the Labour Party (PvdA) and economist. Vos attended a Gymnasium in Heerenveen from April 1917 until M ...

(1903 in Tijnje – 1972) a politician and economist *

Eduard Meine van Zinderen-Bakker Eduard Meine van Zinderen Bakker (15 April 1907 Opsterland, Friesland – 19 March 2002 Somerset West) was a Dutch-born South African palynologist who made significant contributions to the fields of plant ecology, palynology and palaeo-ecology of ...

(1907 in Opsterland – 2002) a Dutch-born South African

palynologist Palynology is the "study of dust" (from grc-gre, παλύνω, palynō, "strew, sprinkle" and '' -logy'') or of "particles that are strewn". A classic palynologist analyses particulate samples collected from the air, from water, or from deposit ...

* Gerard van Klaveren (born 1951 in Terneuzen) a Dutch politician

Sport

Riemer van der Velde Riemer van der Velde (born 28 October 1940 in Bakkeveen) is a Dutch football functionary, who was a chairman of Dutch football club SC Heerenveen. He was in charge of the club for 23 years before resigning on 1 October 2006. At the time Van der V ...

(born 1940 in Bakkeveen) the former chairman of football club

SC Heerenveen Sportclub Heerenveen (; West Frisian: Sportklub It Hearrenfean) is a Dutch football club from Heerenveen. They currently play in the Eredivisie, the top level of football in the Netherlands. History Sportclub Heerenveen was founded on 20 July ...

Foppe de Haan Foppe Geert de Haan (, born 26 June 1943) is a Dutch association football, football coach. He is known for his long association with Friesland, Frisian club SC Heerenveen. De Haan was the manager of the Tuvalu national football team during 2011 ...

(born 1943 in Lippenhuizen) a Dutch football coach with

* Lieuwe de Boer (born 1951 in Ureterp) a former ice speed skater, bronze medallist at the

1980 Winter Olympics The 1980 Winter Olympics, officially the XIII Olympic Winter Games and also known as Lake Placid 1980, were an international multi-sport event held from February 13 to 24, 1980, in Lake Placid, New York, United States. Lake Placid was elected ...

* Hilbert van der Duim (born 1957 in Beetsterzwaag) a Dutch former speed skater, participated in the 1980 and

1984 Winter Olympics The 1984 Winter Olympics, officially known as the XIV Olympic Winter Games (Serbo-Croatian and Slovene: ''XIV. Zimske olimpijske igre''; Cyrillic: XIV Зимске олимпијске игре; mk, XIV Зимски олимписки игр ...

Gallery

File:Kerk Wijnjewoude..JPG, Kerk Wijnjewoude File:Koningsdiep bij de Lippenhuisterbrug.jpg, Koningsdiep bij de Lippenhuisterbrug File:De Horst..JPG, De Horst File:20181106 Bij Wijnjeterpverlaat Opsterlandse Compagnonsvaart.jpg, Bij Wijnjeterpverlaat Opsterlandse Compagnonsvaart

References

;Notes

External links

*
Official website
Municipalities of Friesland {{Friesland-geo-stub