Heerenveen (Frisian: It Hearrenfean, Stellingwerfs: et Vene) is the capital of the municipality of Heerenveen with the same name, in the Dutch province of Friesland. It is located southeast of Sneek and southwest of Drachten, between Joure and Gorredijk. In 2020, the town had 29,505 inhabitants, making it the largest town in the municipality.
The municipality includes the town of Heerenveen (about 30,000 inhabitants) and the villages and settlements: Bontebok, De Knipe, Gersloot, Hoornsterzwaag, Jubbega, Katlijk, Luinjeberd, Mildam, Nieuwehorne, Nieuweschoot, Oranjewoud, Oudehaske, Oudehorne, Oudeschoot, Terband, Tjalleberd.
City Hall
In 1934 Oenemastate became the town hall of Heerenveen.
In 1952 this became Crackstate. New construction followed in 1993 and a
new town hall with the entrance on the K.R. Poststraat connected to the
monumental building. In 2007, the town hall was renovated again. The
public center then got an entrance on the Crackplein. Historic
Crackstate is home to the mayor and aldermen. The 'behind the big sael'
functions as a wedding hall.
The stately home was built in 1648
as a residence by grietman Johannes Sytzes Crack. He had the house built
on the site where his ancestor probably built a state in 1608: the first
Crackstate. The new Crackstate contains parts of the old state. Until
1833 it served as a residence for successive generations of the Crack
family. In that year, the national government acquired the building.
First it became a 'Regtbank of first instance' in the 'Peace Court' and
a 'House of Arrest'. A separate prison was later built behind Crackstate
for the 'House of Arrest'. When the court was dissolved in 1923,
Crackstate's district judge (formerly Justice of the Peace) continued to
sit. During the Second World War, the occupying forces exercised a real
reign of terror in the prison. More than sixty Dutch people did not
survive their stay in prison.
Carillon of Crackstate
The dome
on Crackstate is special. The decorative tower probably served as a
lookout to keep an eye on the lands around the state. In 1962 a carillon
of 37 bells was placed in the dome. In 1985 the carillon was overhauled
and the seventeen bells were replaced. The carillon can be played
mechanically as well as manually. The Carillon Crackstate Foundation
manages the carillon.
Heerenveen is situated on some waterways used by inland navigation
and on the motorway and railway line between Leeuwarden and Zwolle.
Express trains also stop at the station.
In Heerenveen, which is
the economic, social and cultural center of the region, there are
several schools, a general hospital, a psychiatric clinic and a theatre.
The most important factory is the Batavus bicycle factory, which has
existed since 1904. It is now part of the Accell Group, which has its
headquarters in Heerenveen.
In 1551, the 'gentlemen' Van Dekema, Van Cuyck and Foeyts signed the
deed of incorporation of the Schoterlandse Veencompagnie, the second
oldest public limited company in the Netherlands. The founding
certificate of the oldest Dutch raised bog colony is in fact the birth
certificate of Heerenveen.
For the transport of the excavated
peat, the 'lords of 't veen' had the Schoterlandse Compagnonsvaart and
the Heeresloot dug. The waterway was crossed by the Zwolle-Leeuwarden
connection. The combination of the intersection of roads and waterways
and the diligence with which the 'lords of 't veen' developed activities
are the basis for the creation of Heerenveen. In such a place, a
concentration of small and medium-sized businesses and trade often
developed, which in turn prompted home seekers and entrepreneurs to
settle in the area. And so also in Heerenveen. In the nineteenth
century, the settlement grew into a place with many patricians,
dignified citizens and middle classes, or the 'Frisian Hague'.
Merging with surrounding municipalities
Heerenveen was not only at a
crossroads of roads and waterways, but also on the border of three
municipalities: Aengwirden, Schoterland and Haskerland, the current
neighboring municipality of De Fryske Marren. This situation hampered
the development of the place for a long time. Merging was for the best
and it finally happened, but this was preceded by centuries of
discussion. The place where the three municipalities touched was marked
by the border lion. It was not until July 1, 1934 that the
municipalities were reclassified and the municipalities of Aengwirden
and Schoterland, together with a small part of Haskerland, formed the
municipality of Heerenveen, with Heerenveen as its main town.
From January 1, 1812 to October 1, 1816 there was also a municipality of
Heerenveen, consisting of Heerenveen, Terband and Het Meer. In 1816, the
grietenien from before 1812 were restored. Heerenveen has been split
into Aengwirden and Schoterland.
The new municipality of
Heerenveen was established on January 1, 2014, consisting of the
territory of the former municipality of Heerenveen, which was dissolved
on January 1, 2014, expanded with the villages of Nieuwebrug and
Haskerdijken of the municipality of Skarsterlân and the southern part of
the municipality of Boornsterhem (Akkrum, Nes and Oldeboorn). At the
start, the new municipality had just under 50,000 inhabitants.
Apart from the Crackstate mansion, Heerenveen has hardly any
monuments. But the city has a sporty atmosphere.
The Thialf speed
skating stadium, named after a figure from Norse mythology, was one of
the first indoor competition venues of this type in the world. National
and international competitions take place there every year.
The
football club SC Heerenveen has played continuously in the Dutch honors
division since 1993 and has taken part in several European competitions.
Its 26,000-seat stadium is named after Heerenveen-born Abe Lenstra, one
of the best players in Dutch football history and international in the
1940s and 1950s.
Wilhelm Heinrich of Saxe-Eisenach (1691–1741), Duke of Saxe-Eisenach
Albert Gillis von Baumhauer (1891–1939), aviation pioneer
Eelco van
Kleffens (1894–1983), politician
Abe Lenstra (1920–1985), soccer
player
Wim Duisenberg (1935–2005), economist, banker, President of
the European Central Bank from 1998 to 2003
Margriet Zegers (born
1954), hockey player
Franke Sloothaak (born 1958), German-Dutch show
jumper
Jacob de Haan (born 1959), composer and musician
Onno
Meijer (1960–2008), actor
Tineke Postma (born 1978), jazz musician
Jan Huitema (born 1984), politician
Sven Kramer (born 1986), speed
skater
Thijsje Oenema (born 1988), speed skater
Randy de Jong
(born 1993), Michelin-starred chef
Andries Noppert (born 1994),
soccer player
Antoinette de Jong (born 1995), speed skater
Aafke
Soet (born 1997), cyclist and short tracker
Since 2018, the municipal council of Heerenveen consists of 31 seats.
College 2022-2026
In the term of office of 2022-2026, the college
of mayor and aldermen of Heerenveen consists of a coalition of PvdA,
CDA, VVD and GroenLinks. Together, these parties hold 17 of the 31 seats
in the city council.
The mayor and aldermen are:
Tjeerd van
der Zwan (PvdA) mayor. Portfolios: public order and security,
administrative affairs and coordination.
Hedwich Rinkes (CDA)
alderman. Portfolios: culture and Frysk, recreation and tourism,
economic affairs, circular economy, land company, finance, taxation,
legal affairs, 2nd deputy mayor
Jelle Zoetendal (PvdA) alderman.
Portfolios: public housing, energy transition, education housing,
accessibility, traffic and transport, regional cooperation, enforcement,
1st deputy mayor
Jaap van Veen (VVD) alderman. Portfolios: services
and civil affairs, licensing and supervision, integrated management of
public space, waste, biodiversity, spatial development, personnel and
organisation, ICT, 3rd deputy mayor
Gerrie Rozema (GroenLinks)
alderman. Portfolios: climate adaptation, soil, water, raising and
growing up, integration and inclusion, housing municipal buildings,
accommodations, 5th deputy mayor
Sybrig Sijtsma (PvdA) alderman.
Portfolios: welfare, care and participation, health, sport and exercise,
environmental vision, center development, landscape, work and income,
4th deputy mayor
Millennium/Fair Trade Municipality
The
municipality of Heerenveen has been Millennium Municipality since 2007.
This is indicated, among other things, by signs on the access roads at
the municipal boundary. Since 2017, the municipality of Heerenveen is
also a Fairtrade municipality.