Heerenveen

This article is about the city and municipality. For the football team, see SC Heerenveen.

Heerenveen It Hearrenfean
Municipality
Crackstate, part of city hall of Heerenveen
Flag Coat of arms
Location in Friesland Location in Friesland
Coordinates:
Country	Netherlands
Province	Friesland
Government
• Body	Municipal council
• Mayor	Tjeerd van der Zwan (PvdA)
Area
• Total	187.76 km2 (72.49 sq mi)
• Land	180.86 km2 (69.83 sq mi)
• Water	6.90 km2 (2.66 sq mi)
Elevation	1 m (3 ft)
Population (May 2014)
• Total	49,528
• Density	274/km2 (710/sq mi)
Demonym(s)	Heerenvener
Time zone	CET (UTC+1)
• Summer (DST)	CEST (UTC+2)
Postcode	8410–8459
Area code	0513, 0516
Website	www.heerenveen.nl

Topographic map of Heerenveen, March 2014

Heerenveen, church (de Heilige Geestkerk)

Welgelegen or Tjepkemas Molen.

Heerenveen (Dutch pronunciation: [ˌɦeːrə(n)ˈveːn], West Frisian: It Hearrenfean [ət ˌjɛrn̩ˈfɪən]) is a town and municipality in the province of Friesland (Fryslan), in the north of the Netherlands.

History

The town was established in 1551 by three lords as a location for the purpose of digging peat which was used for fuel, hence the name (heer is "lord", veen is "peat"). Heerenveen was not one of the traditional eleven cities in Friesland (Fryslan) as it did not have so-called city rights. However, it is now one of the larger municipalities of the province.

The windmill Welgelegen or Tjepkema's Molen is the only survivor of seventeen which have stood in Heerenveen.

Population centres

Population as of 1 January 2004:

Heerenveen (29,750), Bontebok (440), De Knipe (1470), Gersloot (290), Hoornsterzwaag (890), Jubbega (3270), Katlijk (630), Luinjeberd (450), Mildam (740), Nieuwehorne (1500), Nieuweschoot (140), Oranjewoud (1030), Oudehorne (850), Oudeschoot (1480), Terband (290), and Tjalleberd (730).

Museums

• Museum Belvédère, modern art and contemporary art

Transport

Railway station: Heerenveen

Local government

municipal legislative

Party	seats	change from 2002
PvdA	12	+5
CDA	4	−1
VVD	4	−1
Leefbaar Heerenveen	2	−2
GroenLinks	2	+0
ChristenUnie	2	+1
FNP	1	+0
SP	0	−1
D66	0	−1
Total	27	-

Sports

Heerenveen is famous for its sporting accomplishments and world class sports accommodations. These include the Abe Lenstra football stadium and the Thialf speed skating arena which was one of the first indoor 400m ice rinks in the world, and where annually held international events draw large crowds. Thialf is also home to the city's ice hockey team, the Heerenveen Flyers. The town's football team, SC Heerenveen, plays in the Dutch Premier Division and has been a steady presence in the UEFA Cup for 10 years, topped by the team's biggest achievement when they qualified for the UEFA Champions League in 2000. In 2006, the "Sportstad" (Sport City) project was completed, which included a gymnastics hall, swimming pool and an extension to the football stadium, all of which are clustered together. The Abe Lenstra stadium is unusual because its supporter capacity is larger than the number of inhabitants of the town. One of the few football venues that shares this distinction is Stade Félix Bollaert in Lens, France. Several American football venues, mostly college football venues, also share this distinction.

Notable residents

• Wim Duisenberg
• Foppe de Haan
• Jacob de Haan
• Sven Kramer
• Abe Lenstra
• Geert Arend Roorda
• Geerhardus Vos
• Falko Zandstra
• Margriet Zegers
• Tjibbe van der Veen
• Jos Hooiveld

Twin cities

• Rishon LeZion, Israel

External links

• Media related to at Wikimedia Commons
• Heerenveen travel guide from Wikivoyage
• Official website