Swichum is a village in

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 ...

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 ) , 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 50 in January 2017.

History

The village was first mentioned in the 14th century as Swygghem. The etymology is unclear. Swichum is located on a natural mound. During the 10th century, a dike was built linking the village to Goutum and

. The Barrahuis was a ''

stins A stins (Dutch, pl. ''stinsen''; from West Frisian ''stienhûs'' utch ''steenhuis''"stone house", shortened to ''stins'', pl. ''stinzen'') is a former stronghold or villa in the province of Friesland, the Netherlands. Many stinsen carry the name ...

'' which was built before 1481. The estate was the scene of several battles between the Vetkopers and Schieringers. In 1507, Wigle van Aytta was born in the Barrahuis. In 1515, the Barrahuis was destroyed, however

George, Duke of Saxony George the Bearded (Meissen, 27 August 1471 – Dresden, 17 April 1539) was Duke of Saxony from 1500 to 1539 known for his opposition to the Reformation. While the Ernestine line embraced Lutheranism, the Albertines (headed by George) wer ...

awarded the van Ayttas the estate Montzimahuis in Leeuwarden. The front of the farm at the location is a remainder of the former estate. In 1840, Swichum was home to 104 people. Before 1944, Swichum was part of Leeuwarderadeel municipality.

Notable buildings

* The Protestant church of Swichum

Notable people

* Wigle van Aytta better known as Viglius (1507–1577), statesman and jurist.

Gallery

File:Swichum. Friesland.jpg, Houses in Swichum File:Hekwerk bij de kerk , de straat en boerderijen. Schichum.JPG, Street view File:Huis Swichum, uit Vaderlandse gezichten, Bibliotheek Monumenten Zorg - Swichum - 20207011 - RCE.jpg, Huis Swichum File:Aytha Godshuis - Swichum - 20207012 - RCE.jpg, Farm (1909)

References

Leeuwarden Populated places in Friesland {{Friesland-geo-stub