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 ''face ...

city in the municipality of Noardeast-Fryslân in the province of Friesland. 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 Benedictines, 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 ...

in 754.

Oliver of Cologne Oliver of Paderborn, also known as Thomas Olivier, Oliver the Saxon or Oliver of Cologne ( 1170 – 11 September 1227), was a Germans, German cleric, crusader and chronicler. He was the bishop of Paderborn from 1223 until 1225, when Pope Honorius II ...

preached the Fifth Crusade 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 tradition ...

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 R ...

. In 1597, the Admiralty of Friesland 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 processions, 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 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 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, 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, Dokkum is known as the ''keerpunt'' (turning-point in Dutch), because it is where the speedskaters turn and head back to Leeuwarden. There are two different soccer clubs in Dokkum,

VV Dokkum VV, V V, or v. v. may refer to: Arts and entertainment * Vopli Vidopliassova, or VV, a Ukrainian rock band * Vicarious Visions, a video game company * V/V, a secondary chord in music * V.V., a List of Code Geass characters#V.V., character in ''C ...

and

Be Quick Dokkum BE or be may refer to: Linguistics * ''To be'', the English copular verb * Be (Cyrillic), a letter of the Cyrillic alphabet * ''be'' (interjection), in several languages * Be language or Ong Be, a language of northern Hainan province, China *Bl ...

Windmills

In 1652, Dokkum had five windmills, these were all post mills.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. 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 Catharina Geertruida Schrader (1656–1746), also known as the Frisian Midwife (from the Dutch province Friesland), was a successful Dutch midwife in the Early Modern Era, known for her detailed notebooks and memoirs relating the numerous births ...

(1656–1746). Other famous Dokkumers include: * Gemma Frisius (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 (city), Utrech ...

(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 General ...

(1941), lawyer, member of the Council of State of the Netherlands *

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 File:1988 Events Collage.png, From le ...

(1963), 1996 volleyball Olympic gold medalist * Sipke Jan Bousema (1976), TV-presenter * Theo Pijper (1980), international speedway rider *

(672-754) Exeter, Dokkum *

Dirk Rafaelsz Camphuysen Dirk Rafelsz Camphuysen (1586, Gorinchem9 July 1627, Dokkum) was a Dutch painter, poet and theologian. Biography According to Houbraken, he was the son of a respected surgeon at Gorcum.