Terschelling
flag |
coat of arms |
province | Fryslân |
mayor | Jon Hermans-Vloedbeld ( VVD ; acting) |
Seat of the municipality | West Terschelling |
Area - land - water |
673.99 km 2 83.45 km 2 590.54 km 2 |
CBS code | 0093 |
Residents | 4,858 (Jan 31, 2019) |
Population density | 7 inhabitants / km 2 |
Coordinates | 53 ° 24 ' N , 5 ° 20' E |
prefix | 0562 |
Postcodes | 1794, 8881-8885, 8891-8897 |
Website | Homepage of Terschelling |
The island of Terschelling ( West Frisian Skylge , in the local dialect Schylge ), which belongs to the Netherlands , is one of the five inhabited West Frisian Islands . It is located about 15 km off the Dutch North Sea coast.
) (Terschelling has a 30 km long and 1 km wide beach . An extensive, often considerably high chain of dunes separates the beach from an agricultural polder area . The fertile fields and pastures are protected by strong sea dikes. The basis of today's mixed forest areas was the planting of the old dunes at the beginning of the 20th century. This type of fortification should prevent the dunes from being carried away by the wind.
In terms of flora and fauna , Terschelling is a species-rich wadden island. Various rare orchid species can be found among the more than 600 wild plant species . The dunes and salt marshes serve as breeding and resting places for numerous bird species.
Flag, coat of arms and anthem
flag
The flag of Terschelling has five horizontal stripes in the colors red-blue-yellow-green-white. In a poem very popular on the island, the meaning of colors is explained as follows:
- Rood zijn de clouds
- Blauw is de lucht
- Geel zijn de helmen
- Groen is the grass
- Wit is het zand
- Dit zijn de kleuren van Schellingerland
In German translation:
- The clouds are red
- The sky is blue
- The beach grass is yellow
- The grass is green
- The sand is white
- These are the colors of Terschellingerland
However, it can be assumed that this poem, which incidentally bears a clear similarity to the coat of arms and motto of the island of Helgoland , is a popular explanation that has nothing to do with the historical origin of the colors, about which only little is known. In a Dutch flag board from 1739, today's color sequence can be seen for the first time on a flag that was used jointly by ships from Terschelling and the neighboring island of Vlieland . It is possible that today's Terschelling colors go back to the combination of an older flag with the colors of Vlieland, whose green and white flag still corresponds to the two lowest stripes of the Terschelling flag.
coat of arms
Terschelling's coat of arms shows a red lion and a blue wyvern . Both clasp the trunk of a tree with seven golden yellow apples standing on a green background . A three-pronged golden crown on the upper edge of the shield is adorned with two white pearls , so that all colors of the flag can also be found in the coat of arms. The oldest images of the coat of arms are on a collecting box in Midsland (probably from the beginning of the 17th century), on a contemporary print from 1666 and on a goblet in West-Terschelling, made in Haarlem in 1682 .
anthem
The hymn of the island of Terschelling is the song Oan Schylge , which was written in the middle of the 19th century by Jacob Sijbrands Bakker in the dialect of the main town West Terschelling. The melody is occasionally attributed to the composer Hendrik Rotgans (1851-1910), but it could also go back to an older folk song.
history
Until 1300
The island of Terschelling was created in the early Middle Ages when a sandbank called De Schelling began to grow together with the island of Wexalia , which is further east, due to sand alluvial . The name Wexalia (also written "Wuxalia" or "Wecsile" ) remained in use until the late Middle Ages as a designation for the area of today's East Terschelling. He appears for the last time in 1482 in a friendship and trade agreement that the Terschelling Grietman (chief) Foppe Riencks Popma concluded with King Edward IV of England. Later, the name of the former sandbank was used as the name for the entire island.
The meaning of the name "Schelling" is not entirely clear; possibly this old Frisian word means something like "seclusion", which could indicate the original situation of the Schelling as an uninhabited sandbank. In other sources, Schelling (the article “ ter ” means something like “ to the ”) is interpreted as a “dividing line” or “boundary line”. This could point to the importance of the island as the border between the Wadden Sea and the North Sea , but also to the location on the border between the spheres of influence of Holland and Friesland , which would repeatedly determine the fate of the island.
In the time of Charlemagne , the area in which the West Frisian Islands are today was part of the Frisia Magna, which, as the Lex Frisionum (approx. 795) shows, stretched from the Sinkfal near Bruges in Flanders to the Weser . The settlement of Terschelling probably began at this time. The first branches emerged "op de hogere gronden", which were formed by old dunes : Seerijp (Stryp), Kinnum, Kaard (Kaart), Hee and Horp. The oldest known remains of the settlement date from around 850. At that time there was a wooden church on a hill near Seerijp (Stryp). Later this hill, now known as Strieperkerkhof , was used as a cemetery.
By storm surges , which after the 11th century occurred, the landscape changed considerably, the Wadden Sea took shape and the dike was necessary. The sand that was released when the land was demolished settled again on the island line and formed new dunes: higher and different in shape from the old dunes. The present-day villages of Landerum, Formerum, Lies, Hoorn and Oosterend are located on this. West-Terschelling lies on a special dune formation. Today's “Grootduin” is a remnant of it.
As a result of the expansion policy of the Dutch counts from the so-called "Hollandse Huis", which began in the 10th century , the Frisian area between the Sinkfal and the Vlie was lost. This process was completed by 1300.
14th to 18th century
In the 14th century the Dutch counts resumed their interrupted policy of expansion, in the course of which Westerlauwersche Friesland - which was called West Friesland at the time - came into focus. For example, Terschelling was attacked in 1373 by a Dutch fleet under the command of Willem van Naaldwijk. In 1398, Count Albrecht succeeded in subjugating the Westerlauwersche Friesland , with the state development of the islands between the Vlie and the Lauwers - and thus also Terschellings - finally beginning.
The Dutch counts introduced the feudal system into the conquered area, which until then had been "frij en frysk" (free and Frisian). In 1314 Jean van Beaumont got from his brother Willem III. the island of Texel as a fief . Count Albrecht gave Ameland to Arend von Egmond (1398) and Terschelling to Johan V. van Arkel (1399). In 1400, however, the Dutch rule over the West Lauwers' Friesland actually collapsed again, Johan van Arkel fell out of favor and as early as 1401 he was deprived of his possession of the island, which also made the islands between the Vlie and the Lauwers largely independent again . Formally, however, Terschelling remained a Dutch island. In 1417 Gerrit van Heemskerck received it as a fief from Countess Jacoba von Baiern . He paid 2000 “gouden shields” for it. But Van Heemskerck also fell out of favor, he had to flee to Denmark and died there. However, his fiefs remained in the family.
However, the actual power was exercised during this time by the Terschelling chiefs from the Popma family. Large landowners of the Popma family are known on Terschelling as early as the first half of the 14th century. As early as 1322, Willem III. named Claas Elfssone, one of the leading island residents, as judge. In 1398 Count Albrecht von Baiern made Ziwaert Popama (pronounced: Sjoerd Popma) first a Grietman, later a mayor . The "stone house" ("stins") of the Popmas ("grijtenij") stood at Oosterend. After 1469, when it was not clear who the rightful master of Terschelling was - the heir of Margaretha von Kralingen, the wife of Gerrit van Heemskerck, or the provost of Bruges - Foppe Riencks (alternative spelling: Folkerus Reijner) Popma joined as sovereign Fürst in small format. In 1482, for example, he concluded a friendship and trade treaty with King Edward IV of England , primarily to consolidate his position vis-à-vis the Counts of Holland, but at the same time evidence of the not insignificant concerns that moved the Terschellinger: duty-free, unimpeded shipping and Unhindered berths were of great importance for the islanders on both sides of the North Sea .
In 1500 the tide turned again: Philip the Fair appointed his marshal, the Brabant nobleman Cornelis I van Bergen, who was married to a descendant of Margaretha von Kralingen, to be lord of Terschelling. Jarich Popma, the son and successor of Mayor Foppe Rienck Popma, was largely ousted; from that time on the influence of the Terschelling chief dynasty was finally over. A Drost took over the representation of the sovereign. His son, Cornelis II. Van Bergen, even built his own seat on the island: “des genadigen heren hof” is recorded on old maps in the south of the Stryper church.
Cornelis II. Van Bergen died in 1560 and was followed by his nephew, Johan de Ligne, Count van Aremberg , who was appointed governor of Fryslân , Groningen , Drenthe and Overijssel by the Spanish King Philip II in 1559 . In 1563 he wanted to part with his island property and offered Terschelling to the city of Amsterdam for purchase. The city responded with a negative decision on August 15th. Johan de Ligne was killed on the Spanish side in 1568 in the battle near Groningen near Heiligerlee , which began the eighty year war of liberation between the Dutch and Spain . His underage son Karl was appointed Herr von Terschelling under the tutelage of his mother.
During the following years, Terschelling also served the Wassergeusen as a base for operations. Because the young Count Karl von Aremberg and his mother were also on the Spanish side, they were expropriated in 1583 by the "Staten van Holland". Although this measure was revoked in 1599, Karl van Aremberg saw little use in his Terschelling estate: in 1615 he sold the island to the Staten van Holland .
From 1583 to 1599 and from 1615 to 1795 a Drost appeared as a representative of the Staten van Holland. He was supported by seven aldermen (“schepen”) and two mayors. Terschelling kept his own rights. Around 1600 the island of Terschelling had a total of around 2000 inhabitants.
The second sea war between the Dutch Republic and England (1665–1667) had disastrous consequences for Terschelling. On August 5 and 6, 1666, the Dutch fleet suffered a heavy defeat near Dunkirk in the so-called Tweedaagse Zeeslag (two-day naval battle). After their victory, the English took advantage of their naval domination and attacked Terschelling. Vice-Admiral Robert Holmes burned the village of West-Terschelling almost completely on August 20. Around 140 to 150 Dutch merchant ships anchored in the Vlie sea area between Terschelling and Vlieland went up in flames. This event, known and celebrated in England as “Holmes's Bonfire”, was the British’s hardest blow against the Dutch merchant fleet and seriously endangered the Dutch war effort. The English lost only twelve sailors in this operation.
19th and 20th centuries
In 1814, Terschelling was assigned to the Dutch province of North Holland under administrative law .
During World War II , Terschelling was occupied by the Germans. Terschelling became part of the Atlantic Wall as Hitler thought it likely that the Allies were planning an invasion of the Dutch islands. At times up to 2200 German soldiers were stationed on Terschelling. The “Tiger” radar station was built in West Terschelling in 1941 to monitor air traffic coming from England. Remnants of it, as well as of a number of bunkers, can still be found in the Terschelling dunes (silted up and overgrown, partly blown up).
The assignment of Terschelling (and Vlielands) to the province of Fryslân with the administrative seat of Leeuwarden , which is still valid today, also occurred during the time of the German occupation, in 1942. This decision was confirmed by the Dutch government in 1951, which can be explained by the fact that Terschelling and Vlieland had long been oriented towards Friesland in terms of transport and economy thanks to the regular ferry connection with Harlingen .
After the Second World War, tourism grew into the most important source of income for the island's population.
politics
Distribution of seats in the municipal council
The Terschelling municipal council has eleven seats. The municipal council has been formed as follows since 1990:
Political party | Seats | |||||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
1990 | 1994 | 1998 | 2002 | 2006 | 2010 | 2014 | 2018 | |
PvdA | 3 | 5 | 3 | 4th | 3 | 4th | 4th | 4th |
VVD | 3 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 3 | 2 | 2 | 3 |
Plaatselijk Belang | 3 | 3 | 4th | 2 | 3 | 3 | 3 | 2 |
CDA | 2 | 1 | 2 | 3 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 1 |
Seed Terschelling | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | 1 |
total | 11 | 11 | 11 | 11 | 11 | 11 | 11 | 11 |
mayor
The mayor (whose appointment in the Netherlands is not by election, but after an application process by the Royal Commissioner of the Province ) is Jon Hermans-Vloedbeld from the Volkspartij voor Vrijheid en Democratie (VVD), who succeeded Bert on April 1, 2020 Wassink (GroenLinks) was sworn in. For the period from 2018 to 2022, your team consists of the councilors Sietze Haringa (PvdA), Jeltje Hoekstra-Sikkema (VVD) and the municipal secretary Hetty de Jong.
language
There are three different dialects on Terschelling: In the west (West-Terschelling) and east (Seerijp, Landerum, Formerum, Lies, Hoorn and Oosterend) the West Frisian dialects "Westers" and "Aasters" are spoken, while in Midsland (and the surrounding areas Orten Hee, Horp, Kaart, Kinnum en Baaiduinen) speaks a Dutch dialect, the "Midslands" or "Meslonzers", comparable to the town Frisian . Due to the increasing influence from outside (including tourism), the dialects are increasingly being displaced by Dutch .
Localities
Terschelling has three larger towns (with at least one church):
- West-Terschelling (the largest town on the island). The ferry port is also located here .
- Midsland
- Hoorn.
The other localities (residential centers) are (from west to east):
- Hee
- Kaart
- Baaiduins
- Chinum
- Stryp
- Landerum
- Formerum
- Read
- Oosterend
In addition to these official localities, there are the following hamlets ("Buurtschappen"):
- Dellewal (near West-Terschelling)
- Halfweg (between West-Terschelling and Midsland)
- Midsland-Noord
In the dunes that stretch along the North Sea beach of the island, there are also some holiday settlements:
- West aan Zee
- Midsland aan Zee
- Formerum aan Zee
In addition, some desert areas are known, namely Allum (south of Hee), Hierum (south of the polder in today's Wadden Sea), Stortum (west of Kinnum), Stattum (north of Halfweg), Schittrum (east of Halfweg) and Wolmerum (in today's port area from West-Terschelling).
traffic
The transport links to the Dutch mainland carried by the ferries of the shipping company Doeksen that several times a day between Harlingen run and West Terschelling. Since the fairway is deep enough, the ferries operate according to a fixed timetable and are not dependent on the tide . In addition to several car ferries, there are also two high-speed catamarans that only carry people. In summer there is a ferry service between Terschelling and the neighboring island of Vlieland on some days of the week , which takes people and bicycles.
Terschelling is not car-free; Both locals and visitors are allowed to bring cars to Terschelling. The fare is calculated based on the length of the vehicle. However, since taking a car with you is comparatively expensive (there are cheaper multiple and season tickets for locals and commuters) and must be booked in advance, the majority of guests come to the island without a car. Near the ferry port in Harlingen there is a guarded long-term parking lot for visitors to the islands of Terschelling and Vlieland with a bus shuttle service to the ferry terminal and the terminal itself has a rail connection. However, there is not a single traffic light on the entire island.
The only main road on Terschelling runs from west to east through the polders and connects all the villages on the island. The holiday settlements are connected by spur roads. An Arriva bus service runs between Oosterend and West Terschelling . In the port of West Terschelling, the bus connects to the ferry to Harlingen. In the summer months there are also bus connections to the holiday resorts on the north coast.
For both locals and tourists, bicycles are an important means of transport on Terschelling. The island's network of cycle routes is around 60 km long. Most of these trails run off the main road through dunes and forests. Bicycles can be rented in many places.
There is no airfield on Terschelling. A rescue helicopter is always on standby in Leeuwarden for emergencies . A helipad is located in Midsland.
Economy and tourism
While Ost-Terschelling is largely agrarian, since 1600 maritime elements have increasingly determined people's lives in the village of West-Terschelling. The people worked in shipping, as pilots, fishermen and ferrymen.
Already from the Sund customs registers, in which the customs duties levied by Denmark on the passage of non-Danish ships through the Sund to and from the Baltic Sea ports from 1497 onwards, one can clearly see that the number of Terschelling captains who cross the Sund with their ships trade in the Baltic Sea was still relatively low between 1500 and 1570 (around 30 to 40 registered passages per year). From 1574 to 1600, and in particular from 1600 to 1620, the share of Terschellinger skippers in the number of registered Dutch crossings increased considerably and in 1618 took the top position with 431 registered crossings with 10% of all Dutch crossings.
In the period from around 1710 to 1780, whaling in the Davis Strait and around Spitzbergen was of great importance for the Terschelling population. The island provided numerous commanders and a considerable part of the crew of the whaling ships .
In the period from 1870 to 1914, many people from Terschelling worked in the herring fishery on loggers from Maassluis , Emden and Elsfleth .
Since the first bathers visited the island in 1907 and ten years later the first bathing carts were set up near West-Terschelling , tourism on Terschelling has developed rapidly. With the paving of the main traffic route (Hoofdweg) from West-Terschelling to Oosterend, the basis for the development was created. Over the years the number of accommodations has multiplied; New districts even emerged: West aan Zee, Midsland-Noord, Midsland aan Zee and Formerum aan Zee, most of which consist of summer and holiday homes. Many farms are prepared to accommodate guests ("kampeerboerderijen").
education
- Maritime School Maritiem Instituut Willem Barentsz is located in West Terschelling; it is named after the seafarer and explorer Willem Barents who was born on the island . The school was founded on January 1st, 1875 and is now a faculty of the Noordelijke Hogeschool (NHL) in Leeuwarden . On Terschelling courses to become a nautical officer and a hydrograph are offered.
nature and landscape
- Griend Island : the uninhabited island is located in the Wadden Sea south of Terschelling. The island is a bird sanctuary and belongs to the area of the municipality of Terschelling. It is not open to the public, but there is a refuge for ornithologists who come to the island in summer to study. The Wadden Sea between the island of Terschelling and the mainland also belongs to the municipality of Terschelling ; Strictly speaking, the southernmost point of the Terschelling municipality is located directly below the dike in Harlingen . If you include the tidal flats, Terschelling is the largest municipality in the Netherlands.
Terschelling consists of around 80% natural dune landscape and salt marshes (Dutch: Kwelders ). The dunes and salt marshes have been managed by the state nature conservation authority Staatsbosbeheer since 1909 . The westernmost part of Terschelling, which bears the name Noordsvaarder , emerged from a sandbank that merged with the island in the mid-19th century. In 1956 a firing and bombing range for the Dutch Air Force was set up on the Noordsvaarder , known in military parlance as the "jackpot range". The training area has been closed since 1995 and the military facilities have been demolished.
The Kroonpolders in the north of the island's capital West-Terschelling were created between 1921 and 1929 through the construction of sand walls (Stuifdijken) ; Together with the Noordsvaarder, the Kroonpolders now form an extensive dune landscape overgrown by low scrub between the mixed forest areas in the north of West Teschelling and the actual dune chain that shields the island from the North Sea. Other dune areas on Terschelling are Griltjeplak , Landerumerheide and Koegelwieck .
In the past, there were countless wild rabbits to be found in the dunes ; Until the beginning of the 20th century, some islanders made their living by hunting rabbits with dogs and ferrets . Terschelling rabbit meat was even offered in the markets in Amsterdam at the time. Due to the occurrence of myxomatosis , however, the rabbit population decreased significantly at times.
The polders in the south of Terschelling consist of pastureland that is used by livestock farms. In total there are around twenty farms on the island.
In the past, there were still numerous grain fields on the southern edge of the dune areas. In the 1950s, however, grain cultivation on Terschelling was stopped. The grain fields were protected from the dune sand by planting alders at the foot of the dunes. The resulting alder forests along the edge of the dune between West-Terschelling and Oosterend are still a typical feature of the landscape.
In the eastern part of Terschelling is the De Boschplaat nature reserve , which extends around ten kilometers to the easternmost tip of the island. Boschplaat was created between 1932 and 1936 after the sandbank east of Terschelling was firmly connected to the island by a dike. A rich salt marsh vegetation was created on the former sandbank. There you can find rich stocks of sea lavender ( Limonium vulgare ), sea wormwood ( Artemisia maritima ), salt marsh ( Atriplex pedunculatus ) and other saltwater plants adapted to amphibious habitats. On the Boschplaat breeding spoonbill , tern , tern , common tern , little tern , gull , gull , herring gull , common gull , cormorant and other bird species. Boschplaat has been a European nature reserve since 1970 . Large parts of Boschplaat are closed to visitors from March 15 to August 15; However, excursions can be undertaken under the guidance of a trained ornithological station.
Cranberries on Terschelling
In the damp dune valleys of Terschelling, the cranberry or large-fruited cranberry (Vaccinium macrocarpon) occurs, which actually comes from North America . During the long sea voyages at the time of the big windjammers , the American ships carried cranberries in barrels of cold water to protect the crew from the dreaded scurvy . Cranberries contain a lot of vitamin C and thanks to the natural wax layer they have a long shelf life. Many a sailing ship accident resulted in barrels of cranberries being washed up on foreign coasts. According to local tradition, the plant is said to have made its home on Terschelling after such a barrel was washed up with cranberries in 1845. After the finder of the barrel, Pieter Sipkes Cupid , the islanders used to call the cranberry Pieter Sipkesheide . But Pieter Sipke's Cupid did not yet think of cultivating the unknown plant; According to legend, he was only interested in the well-preserved barrel and is said to have carelessly emptied the contents, with which he did not know what to do with, in the dunes. There the cranberries took root and went wild. In 1868 the botanist Franciscus Holkema discovered the occurrence of the cranberries in a dune area called Studentenplak , near what is now the West aan Zee holiday complex. Today there are commercial cultivation areas in the rear part of the island, but also wild cranberries in the West aan Zee area and in the Kroonpolders. The harvest of wild cranberries is now leased to the company Cranberry Skylge BV from Formerum. Numerous products such as B. cranberry jam, cranberry tea, cranberry liqueur and cranberry biscuits are marketed as a Terschelling specialty in shops and restaurants on the island.
Personalities
In the following, people are listed alphabetically who were either born or were resident (or: are) on Terschelling and who played or play a role in history, religion, culture, science or sport:
- Willem Barents (around 1550–1597), Dutch navigator and explorer
Attractions
- Local history museum 't Behouden Huys in the port of West Terschelling offers, among other things, an insight into the history of the island, the role of seafaring for the islanders and of course into the life of the most famous son Willem Barents .
- Wrakkenmuseum: In Formerum you will find an interesting collection of diving finds from the many ships that have sunk around Terschelling over the centuries. Finds from 1650 until today are exhibited.
- Bunker museum of the position "Tiger". In addition to the partially restored bunkers, there are display boards on the radar systems and artefacts from the war. A documentary about the Atlantic Wall is shown in a small cinema.
Brandaris lighthouse
West Terschelling is home to one of the oldest lighthouses in the Netherlands. The "Brandaris", which dates back to 1594, is one of the most striking landmarks on the island with its height of 55 meters and is visible from afar when arriving by ferry. The lighthouse is one of the few structures that survived the attack and pillage of West Terschelling by the English in 1666. Today the Brandaris is used for radar monitoring of shipping traffic and can therefore not be viewed from the inside. However, on the ground floor there are rooms that are used for wedding ceremonies.
Regular events
- Oerol Festival: Since 1982, takes place every year in summer from 11 to 20 June, the Oerol Festival instead. The word “Oerol” means “everywhere” in the Terschelling dialect and used to refer to the period in spring when the cattle were driven back to pasture. Sheep, goats and cows were then literally everywhere .
During the Oerol Festival, theatrical performances and concerts take place all over the island for ten days and visual artists exhibit works under the festival's annual motto . Beach, forest, dunes and polder become a stage and exhibition space; There are also demonstrations in barns and sheds.
The Oerol Festival attracts around 50,000 visitors every year. During this time, accommodations on the island must be booked well in advance.
In addition, the "Braderie" takes place in July and August. There traders offer their mostly self-made goods. This so-called market takes place alternately every Wednesday in either Midsland or West.
Another big attraction is the Fjoertour hiking competition, which takes place at night.
See also
Web links
- Website of the municipality (Dutch)
- Website of the Terschelling Tourist Association (Dutch, German, English)
- Oerol Festival website (Dutch, English, Frisian)
- Website of the Museum 't Behouden Huys (Dutch)
- Wrakkenmuseum website (Dutch)
Individual evidence
- ↑ Nieuwe waarnemend burgemeester used. In: terschelling.nl. Gemeente Terschelling, accessed April 2, 2020 (Dutch).
- ↑ Bevolkingsontwikkeling; regio per maand . In: StatLine . Centraal Bureau voor de Statistiek (Dutch)
- ↑ De Terschellinger vlag in Gemeente Terschelling
- ↑ Result of the local elections: 2014 2018 , accessed on June 20, 2018 (Dutch)
- ↑ Allocation of seats in the municipal council: 1990–2002 2006 2010 2014 2018 , accessed on June 20, 2018 (Dutch)
- ↑ Collegeleden en werkwijze Gemeente Terschelling, accessed on June 20, 2018 (Dutch)