Ameland (; ) is a

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

and one of the West Frisian Islands off the north coast of 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 ...

. It consists mostly of sand dunes and is the third major island of the West Frisians. It neighbours islands

Terschelling Terschelling (; ; Terschelling dialect: ''Schylge'') is a Municipalities of the Netherlands, municipality and an island in the northern Netherlands, one of the West Frisian Islands. It is situated between the islands of Vlieland and Ameland. ...

to the west and Schiermonnikoog to the east. This includes the small Engelsmanplaat and Rif sandbanks to the east. Ameland is, counted from the west, the fourth inhabited Dutch Wadden island and belongs to the

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 ...

(''Fryslân'') province. The whole island falls under one municipality, which carries the same name. The Wadden islands form the border between the

North Sea The North Sea lies between Great Britain, Denmark, Norway, Germany, the Netherlands, Belgium, and France. A sea on the European continental shelf, it connects to the Atlantic Ocean through the English Channel in the south and the Norwegian Se ...

and the

Wadden Sea The Wadden Sea ( ; ; or ; ; ; ) is an intertidal zone in the southeastern part of the North Sea. It lies between the coast of northwestern continental Europe and the range of low-lying Frisian Islands, forming a shallow body of water with tida ...

, which lies on the south side of the island file. The municipality of Ameland had a population of in . The inhabitants are called Amelanders.

Places

The island has four villages, and one small part-village. There were two other villages: Oerd and Sier, but these were flooded and now lie in the sea. The name of these villages live on in MS ''Oerd'' and MS ''Sier'', which are the names of the ferries to the island. From west to east: *

Hollum Hollum is the largest village on Ameland, Netherlands, one of the West Frisian Islands. It is situated on the westernmost part of the island and had, as of January 2017, a population of 1,165. The village was first mentioned in 1485 as Hollum, ...

, the most populated village, located on the west coast, home to the island's

lighthouse A lighthouse is a tower, building, or other type of physical structure designed to emit light from a system of lamps and lens (optics), lenses and to serve as a beacon for navigational aid for maritime pilots at sea or on inland waterways. Ligh ...

* Ballum, smallest village, location of the island's airfield, Ameland Airport * Nes, the second largest of the island, a vibrant tourist village with many hotels, also home to Burgemeester Waldaschool (the island's secondary school), and

ferry A ferry is a boat or ship that transports passengers, and occasionally vehicles and cargo, across a body of water. A small passenger ferry with multiple stops, like those in Venice, Italy, is sometimes referred to as a water taxi or water bus ...

services from Holwert on the mainland * Buren, located at the centre of the island, includes Ameland's beach

Population

The population of each village of the island :

History

First mentioned as Ambla in the 8th century, it paid

tribute A tribute (; from Latin ''tributum'', "contribution") is wealth, often in kind, that a party gives to another as a sign of submission, allegiance or respect. Various ancient states exacted tribute from the rulers of lands which the state con ...

to the county of

Holland Holland is a geographical regionG. Geerts & H. Heestermans, 1981, ''Groot Woordenboek der Nederlandse Taal. Deel I'', Van Dale Lexicografie, Utrecht, p 1105 and former provinces of the Netherlands, province on the western coast of the Netherland ...

until in 1424 its lord, Ritske Jelmera, declared it a "free lordship" (''vrijheerschap''): the Lordship of Ameland. Although Holland, Friesland and the

Holy Roman Emperor The Holy Roman Emperor, originally and officially the Emperor of the Romans (disambiguation), Emperor of the Romans (; ) during the Middle Ages, and also known as the Roman-German Emperor since the early modern period (; ), was the ruler and h ...

contested this quasi-independent status, it remained a free lordship until the ruling family, Cammingha, died out in 1708. After that, the Frisian

stadtholder In the Low Countries, a stadtholder ( ) was a steward, first appointed as a medieval official and ultimately functioning as a national leader. The ''stadtholder'' was the replacement of the duke or count of a province during the Burgundian and ...

John William Friso, Prince of Orange, became lord of Ameland and after him, his son the stadtholder of all the Netherlands,

William IV, Prince of Orange William IV (Willem Karel Hendrik Friso; 1 September 1711 – 22 October 1751) was Prince of Orange from birth and the first hereditary stadtholder of all the United Provinces of the Netherlands from 1747 until his death in 1751. During his who ...

, and his grandson,

William V, Prince of Orange William V (Willem Batavus; 8 March 1748 – 9 April 1806) was Prince of Orange and the last Stadtholder of the Dutch Republic. He went into exile to London in 1795. He was furthermore ruler of the Principality of Orange-Nassau until his death in ...

. Only in the constitution of 1813 was the island finally integrated into the Netherlands into the province of

. The

monarchy of the Netherlands The monarchy of the Netherlands is governed by the country's charter and constitution, roughly a third of which explains the mechanics of succession, accession, and abdication; the roles and duties of the monarch; the formalities of communica ...

still maintain the title ''Vrijheer van Ameland'' today. In 1871–72, a dike was built between Ameland and the mainland by a society for the reclamation of Frisian land from the sea. The dike ran from Holwert to Buren and was long. The province and the Dutch realm each paid 200,000 guilders. In the end, it was unsuccessful; the dike did not prove to be durable and in 1882, after heavy storms in the winter, repairs and maintenance of the dam were stopped. The dike can still be partially seen at low tide. The dam at Holwert is the beginning of this dike. In 1940, German troops were ferried to the island and within hours Ameland was under the control of the German Army. Due to its limited military value, the Allies never invaded Ameland. The German forces on the island did not surrender until 2 June 1945, almost a full month after the defeat of

Nazi Germany Nazi Germany, officially known as the German Reich and later the Greater German Reich, was the German Reich, German state between 1933 and 1945, when Adolf Hitler and the Nazi Party controlled the country, transforming it into a Totalit ...

2023 MV ''Fremantle Highway'' fire

In July 2023, a fire on the Panamanian flagged cargo ship MV ''Fremantle Highway'' carrying over 3,700 cars off the coast of Ameland left one sailor dead and 22 others injured.

Nature

Like all West and East Frisian Islands, Ameland is a unique piece of nature. The profusion of different plants on the island is caused by the immense variety of landscapes. One of the scenic areas is the Oerd, a large complex of dunes which is still expanding by the year. Because of the differing landscapes and types of flora, over 60 different species of birds are sitting there every year. At the eastern part of the Oerd lies a beach plain called the Hon. Besides dunes and beaches, Ameland has some woods, like the ''Nesser bos'' ("Wood of Nes").

Transport

Most travelers reach the island by ferry from Holwert on the mainland of

, but there is also an airport near Ballum ( Ameland Airport). A bus service connects the ferries from Hollum/Ballum (route 130) and Buren/Nes (route 132). When the sea between Friesland and Ameland is at low tide, one can walk across (see mudflat hiking).

Notable people

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The following people were born on Ameland: * Ritske Jelmera (1383 in Ternaard – 1450) a Frisian chieftain who ruled the island of Ameland * , whaler * Johannes de Jong (1885 in Nes – 1955), Archbishop of Utrecht 1936/1955 * Hannes de Boer (1899 in Hollum – 1982), long jumper, participated in the 1924 and 1928 Olympic Games * Sjoerd Soeters (born 1947 in Nes), postmodern architect * Pieter Mosterman (born 1967 in Nes), a research Scientist and academic in the USA * Jan Bruin (born 1969 in Hollum), retired Dutch soccer player.

Gallery

File:Hervormde Kerk in Hollum (Ameland).jpg, Hervormde Kerk in Hollum, Ameland File:Ameland - Bornrif.JPG, Bornrif lighthouse File:Swimmingpool at Ameland - panoramio.jpg, alt=Swimmingpool at Ameland, Abandoned swimmingpool at Ameland File:Ameland aerial view Hollum beach dunes.jpg, Ameland, Hollum beach dunes

References

External links

*
Official websiteThe history of Ameland
{{Frisian Islands Municipalities of Friesland Islands of Friesland West Frisian Islands Ramsar sites in the Netherlands