Molkwerum ( fry, Molkwar) is a village in
Súdwest-Fryslân
Southwest Friesland ( fy, Súdwest-Fryslân ) is a List of municipalities of the Netherlands, municipality in the Northern Netherlands, located in the Provinces of the Netherlands, province of Friesland. It had a population of 84,092 in August 201 ...
municipality 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 ...
, the
Netherlands
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, 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 ...
. It had a population of around 390 in January 2017. Molkwerum used to be called Friese Doolhof (Frisian Maze), because it is built on numerous little islands dissected by canals in a random fashion.
The village used to contain 27 bridges.
History
The village was first mentioned in 1398 as Molkenhuzen. The etymology is unclear.
Molkwerum used to be located to the north of the former
Zuiderzee
The Zuiderzee or Zuider Zee (; old spelling ''Zuyderzee'' or ''Zuyder Zee'') was a shallow bay of the North Sea in the northwest of the Netherlands, extending about 100 km (60 miles) inland and at most 50 km (30 miles) wide, with an ov ...
and to the south of the former Staverse Meer which was ''
polder
A polder () is a low-lying tract of land that forms an artificial hydrological entity, enclosed by embankments known as dikes. The three types of polder are:
# Land reclaimed from a body of water, such as a lake or the seabed
# Flood plain ...
ed'' in the 17th century. The village was populated by sea traders who sailed to the
Baltic Sea
The Baltic Sea is an arm of the Atlantic Ocean that is enclosed by Denmark, Estonia, Finland, Germany, Latvia, Lithuania, Poland, Russia, Sweden and the North and Central European Plain.
The sea stretches from 53°N to 66°N latitude and fr ...
,
and had its own office in
Amsterdam
Amsterdam ( , , , lit. ''The Dam on the River Amstel'') is the Capital of the Netherlands, capital and Municipalities of the Netherlands, most populous city of the Netherlands, with The Hague being the seat of government. It has a population ...
.
The current Dutch Reformed church was built in 1850 and has a tower from 1799. The maritime past lasted until the 16th/17th century, and Molkwerum turned into a fishing village.
Molkwerum was home to 301 people in 1840.
In 1885, a shared
Koudum-Molkwerum railway station with Koudum opened.
In the 1960s, the harbour was filled up, and the sluice was demolished.
In 2000, an
Elvis Presley
Elvis Aaron Presley (January 8, 1935 – August 16, 1977), or simply Elvis, was an American singer and actor. Dubbed the "Honorific nicknames in popular music, King of Rock and Roll", he is regarded as Cultural impact of Elvis Presley, one ...
museum opened in the village, and contains authentic clothes worn by the King and an autographed guitar. Before 2011, the village was part of the
Nijefurd municipality and before 1984 it belonged to
Hemelumer Oldeferd municipality.
Gallery
File:8722 Molkwerum, Netherlands - panoramio.jpg, View on Molkwerum
File:C.F. Bendorp - Sight of Molkwerum, 1790.jpg, Drawing of Molkwerum (1790)
File:Elvis Presley Museum Molkwerum 3.JPG, Elvis Presley museum
File:HUA-150480-Gezicht op de perronzijde van het besneeuwde N.S.-station Koudum-Molkwerum bij Molkwerum.jpg, Koudum-Molkwerum railway station
References
External links
{{Authority control
Súdwest-Fryslân
Populated places in Friesland