Wûnseradiel () is a former

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 ...

in the

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 ...

province of the northern

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 ...

, at the eastern end of the ''

Afsluitdijk The ''Afsluitdijk'' (; fry, Ofslútdyk; nds-nl, Ofsluutdiek; en, "Closure Dyke") is a major dam and causeway in the Netherlands. It was constructed between 1927 and 1932 and runs from Den Oever in North Holland province to the village o ...

''. The official (legal) name of the municipality is in the

West Frisian language West Frisian, or simply Frisian ( fy, link=no, Frysk or ; nl, Fries , also ), is a West Germanic language spoken mostly in the province of Friesland () in the north of the Netherlands, mostly by those of Frisian ancestry. It is the most wi ...

, though it is known as Wonseradeel () in Dutch. In 2011 it was merged with the municipalities of

Bolsward Bolsward (, West Frisian: ''Boalsert'') is a city in Súdwest-Fryslân in the province of Friesland, the Netherlands. Bolsward has a population of just under 10,200. It is located 10 km W.N.W. of Sneek. History The town is founded on thr ...

, Nijefurd,

Sneek Sneek (; fy, Snits) is a city southwest of Leeuwarden and the seat of the former municipality of Sneek in the province of Friesland, Netherlands. As of 2011 it is the seat of the municipality of Súdwest-Fryslân (Southwest Friesland). T ...

and Wymbritseradiel forming the new municipality

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 ...

.http://www.fusiesudwestfryslan.nl/ (dutch website from the municipality, stating: "Bolsward, Nijefurd, Sneek, Wûnseradiel and Wymbritseradiel are merged since 1 January 2011".)

Towns and villages

Allingawier,

Arum ''Arum'' is a genus of flowering plants in the family Araceae, native to Europe, northern Africa, and western and central Asia, with the highest species diversity in the Mediterranean region. Frequently called arum lilies, they are not closely ...

, Burgwerd, Cornwerd, Dedgum, Exmorra, Ferwoude,

Gaast Gaast is a village in Súdwest-Fryslân municipality in the province of Friesland, the Netherlands. It had a population of around 220 in January 2017. History The village was first mentioned in the 13th century as lutekagast, and means "geest (hig ...

, Hartwerd, Hichtum, Hieslum, Idsegahuizum,

Kimswerd Kimswerd ( fry, Kimswert) is a village in Súdwest-Fryslân municipality in the province of Friesland, the Netherlands. It had a population of around 565 in January 2017. History The village was first mentioned in the 13th century as Kemmerswe ...

, Kornwerderzand, Lollum, Longerhouw, Makkum, Parrega, Piaam,

Pingjum Pingjum ( fry, Penjum) is a village in the municipality of Súdwest-Fryslân in Friesland, in the northern Netherlands and lies southwest of Harlingen. It had a population of around 585 in January 2017. History The village was first mentioned in ...

Schettens Schettens ( fry, Skettens) is a village in Súdwest-Fryslân in the province of Friesland, the Netherlands. It had a population of around 285 in January 2017. History The village was first mentioned in 855 as Sceddanuurthi. The etymology is uncl ...

, Schraard,

Tjerkwerd Tjerkwerd ( fry, Tsjerkwert) is a village in Súdwest-Fryslân municipality in the province Friesland of the Netherlands. It had a population of 455 in January 2017. There is a windmill in the village, De Babuurstermolen. History The village w ...

, Witmarsum,

Wons Wons ( fry, Wûns) is a village in Súdwest-Fryslân in the province of Friesland, the Netherlands. It had a population of around 290 in January 2017. History The villages was first mentioned in 1270 as Wyldinghen, and means "settlement of Wol ...

, Zurich.

Hamlets

Arkum, Atzeburen, Baarderburen, Baburen, Breezanddijk, De Blokken, Dijksterburen, Doniaburen, Eemswoude, Engwier, Exmorrazijl, Gooium, Grauwe Kat, Harkezijl, Hayum, Hemert, Idserdaburen, It Fliet, Jonkershuizen, Jousterp, Kampen, Kooihuizen, Koudehuizum, Rijtseterp, Scharneburen, Strand, Vierhuizen, Wonneburen

Famous inhabitants

Pier Gerlofs Donia Pier Gerlofs Donia ( 1480 – 28 October 1520) was a Frisian rebel leader and pirate. He is best known by his West Frisian nickname ''Grutte Pier'' ("Big Pier"; in the pre-1980 West Frisian spelling written as ''Greate Pier''), or by the Dutch t ...

, better known as 'Grutte Pier', was an infamous

freedom fighter A resistance movement is an organized effort by some portion of the civil population of a country to withstand the legally established government or an occupying power and to disrupt civil order and stability. It may seek to achieve its objective ...

from Kimswerd born sometime near the year 1480, who led a

guerrilla war Guerrilla warfare is a form of irregular warfare in which small groups of combatants, such as paramilitary personnel, armed civilians, or irregulars, use military tactics including ambushes, sabotage, raids, petty warfare, hit-and-run tactic ...

against the occupying forces after his village was plundered in 1515. He led the Frisian rebel army, the

Arumer Zwarte Hoop The Arumer Zwarte Hoop, meaning "Black Army of Arum" ( fry, Swarte Heap) was an army of peasant rebels and mercenaries in Friesland fighting against the Habsburg authorities from 1515 to 1523. For four years they were successful under the former f ...

from 1515 until 1519. *

Wijard Jelckama Wijerd Jelckama (also spelled Wierd and Wijard)Eekhoff, W.(1851). ''Beknopte geschiedenis van Friesland'' (in Dutch). Leeuwarden: W. Eekhoff. 138–139. (c. 1490–1523) was a Frisian military commander, warlord and member of the ''Arumer Zwarte ...

was a Frisian military commander and freedom fighter. He co-founded the Arumer Zwarte Hoop and led it from 1519 until his death by decapitation in 1523. *

Menno Simons Menno Simons (1496 – 31 January 1561) was a Roman Catholic priest from the Friesland region of the Low Countries who was excommunicated from the Catholic Church and became an influential Anabaptist religious leader. Simons was a contemporary o ...

was born in Witmarsum in 1492 or 1496. He was a leader of the Dutch

Anabaptists Anabaptism (from Neo-Latin , from the Greek : 're-' and 'baptism', german: Täufer, earlier also )Since the middle of the 20th century, the German-speaking world no longer uses the term (translation: "Re-baptizers"), considering it biased. ...

Mennonites Mennonites are groups of Anabaptist Christian church communities of denominations. The name is derived from the founder of the movement, Menno Simons (1496–1561) of Friesland. Through his writings about Reformed Christianity during the Ra ...

. * B.D. Dykstra was born in Pingjum in 1872. He emigrated to

Iowa Iowa () is a U.S. state, state in the Midwestern United States, Midwestern region of the United States, bordered by the Mississippi River to the east and the Missouri River and Big Sioux River to the west. It is bordered by six states: Wiscon ...

and became a leader in the

Reformed Church in America The Reformed Church in America (RCA) is a mainline Reformed Protestant denomination in Canada and the United States. It has about 152,317 members. From its beginning in 1628 until 1819, it was the North American branch of the Dutch Reforme ...

References

External links

Official website
Municipalities of the Netherlands disestablished in 2011 Former municipalities of Friesland Súdwest-Fryslân {{Friesland-geo-stub