Ameland
Encyclopedia
Municipality
A municipality is essentially an urban administrative division having corporate status and usually powers of self-government. It can also be used to mean the governing body of a municipality. A municipality is a general-purpose administrative subdivision, as opposed to a special-purpose district...
and one of the West Frisian Islands
West Frisian Islands
The West Frisian Islands are a chain of islands in the North Sea off the Dutch coast, along the edge of the Wadden Sea. They continue further east as the German East Frisian Islands and are part of the Frisian Islands....
off the north coast of the Netherlands
Netherlands
The Netherlands is a constituent country of the Kingdom of the Netherlands, located mainly in North-West Europe and with several islands in the Caribbean. Mainland Netherlands borders the North Sea to the north and west, Belgium to the south, and Germany to the east, and shares maritime borders...
. It consists mostly of sand dunes. It is the third major island of the West Frisians. It neighbours islands Terschelling
Terschelling
Terschelling is a municipality and an island in the northern Netherlands, one of the West Frisian Islands.Waddenislanders are known for their resourcefulness in using anything and everything that washes ashore. With few trees to use for timber, most of the farms and barns are built with masts...
to the West and Schiermonnikoog
Schiermonnikoog
Schiermonnikoog is an island, a municipality, and a national park in the northern Netherlands. Schiermonnikoog is one of the West Frisian Islands, and is part of the province of Friesland....
to the East. This includes the small Engelsmanplaat
Engelsmanplaat
Engelsmanplaat, or the Kalkman which is its local name, is a small sandbank between the Dutch islands Ameland and Schiermonnikoog.-References:...
and Rif
Rif (island)
Rif is a small, uninhabited, Dutch island in the Wadden Sea, lying between Ameland and Schiermonnikoog, north of Engelsmanplaat. It is one of the West Frisian Islands. The island currently has an area of less than 0.1 km². There are no breeding birds to be found, but it is popular as a high tide...
islands to the East.
Ameland is, counted from the west, the fourth inhabited Dutch Wadden island and belongs to the Friesland
Friesland
Friesland is a province in the north of the Netherlands and part of the ancient region of Frisia.Until the end of 1996, the province bore Friesland as its official name. In 1997 this Dutch name lost its official status to the Frisian Fryslân...
/Fryslan province. The whole island falls under one municipality, which carries the same name. The Wadden islands form the border between the North sea
North Sea
In the southwest, beyond the Straits of Dover, the North Sea becomes the English Channel connecting to the Atlantic Ocean. In the east, it connects to the Baltic Sea via the Skagerrak and Kattegat, narrow straits that separate Denmark from Norway and Sweden respectively...
and the Wadden sea which lies on the south side of the island file. As of 31 December 2008, the municipality of Ameland had 3,466 inhabitants (source: CBS). The inhabitants are called Amelanders.
Postcode & Area code
The postcode of the island is between 9161-9164. The area code is 0519.Places
The island has four villages, and one small part-village.In former days, there were two other villages: Oerd and Sier, but these were drowned and now lie in the sea. The name of these villages live on in MS Oerd and MS Sier, which are the names of the ferries to the island. From west to east:
- HollumHollumHollum is a Dutch village on Ameland, one of the West Frisian Islands. It is situated on the westernmost part of the island.Prominent in the town is a Reformed church with foundations from the 12th century and a lighthouse, which is 59 m high, dating from 1880. Also a notable feature are the...
, the most populated village, located at the West Coast, home to the island's lighthouseLighthouseA lighthouse is a tower, building, or other type of structure designed to emit light from a system of lamps and lenses or, in older times, from a fire, and used as an aid to navigation for maritime pilots at sea or on inland waterways.... - Ballum, smallest village, location of the island's airfield, Ameland AirportAmeland AirportAmeland Airport , also known as Ameland Airport Ballum, is a small general aviation airport located near the town of Ballum on the western part of the island of Ameland, one of the West Frisian Islands in the Netherlands...
- NesNes, AmelandNes is the second largest village on the island of Ameland, one of the West Frisian Islands and part of the Netherlands.It constitutes as the main village of the eastern, roman-catholic part of Ameland. In the past, the catholic Amelanders ran into many conflicts with the Western, protestant...
, the second largest but the main village of the island, a vibrant tourist village with many hotels, also home to the ferryFerryA ferry is a form of transportation, usually a boat, but sometimes a ship, used to carry primarily passengers, and sometimes vehicles and cargo as well, across a body of water. Most ferries operate on regular, frequent, return services...
services from HolwerdHolwerdHolwerd is a village in the northern Netherlands, in the province of Friesland. Wadloopcentrum Fryslân in Holwerd is a center for the training of wadlopen guides and the preservation of the sport. It was the birthplace of astronomer Johannes Phocylides Holwarda. Holwerd had a station on the North...
mainland - BurenBuren (Friesland)Buren is the eastern-most village on the island of Ameland, one of the West Frisian Islands and part of the Netherlands.-Rixt van het Oerd:...
located at the centre of the island, includes Ameland's beach
Population
The population of each village of the island as of 2008:| NAME | POPULATION |
| Hollum Hollum Hollum is a Dutch village on Ameland, one of the West Frisian Islands. It is situated on the westernmost part of the island.Prominent in the town is a Reformed church with foundations from the 12th century and a lighthouse, which is 59 m high, dating from 1880. Also a notable feature are the... |
1400 |
| Nes | 1200 |
| Buren Buren (Friesland) Buren is the eastern-most village on the island of Ameland, one of the West Frisian Islands and part of the Netherlands.-Rixt van het Oerd:... |
670 |
| Ballum | 370 |
History
First mentioned as Ambla in the 8th century, it paid tributeTribute
A tribute is wealth, often in kind, that one party gives to another as a sign of respect or, as was often the case in historical contexts, of submission or allegiance. Various ancient states, which could be called suzerains, exacted tribute from areas they had conquered or threatened to conquer...
to the county of Holland until in 1424 its lord
Lord
Lord is a title with various meanings. It can denote a prince or a feudal superior . The title today is mostly used in connection with the peerage of the United Kingdom or its predecessor countries, although some users of the title do not themselves hold peerages, and use it 'by courtesy'...
Ritske Jelmera
Ritske Jelmera
Ritske Jelmera was a Frisian chieftain born in 1383 in Ternaard, Friesland who ruled the island of Ameland. He died in 1450 .His stins stood near Ballum...
declared it a 'free lordship' (vrijheerschap).
Although Holland, Friesland and the Holy Roman Emperor
Holy Roman Empire
The Holy Roman Empire was a realm that existed from 962 to 1806 in Central Europe.It was ruled by the Holy Roman Emperor. Its character changed during the Middle Ages and the Early Modern period, when the power of the emperor gradually weakened in favour of the princes...
contested this quasi-independent status, it remained a free lordship until the ruling family, Cammingha
Cammingha
Van Cammingha is an old Dutch noble family from the Dutch province of Friesland. Different scions of the family lives on the family estate Wiarda in Goutum near the city of Leeuwarden. The family have played an important role in the Dutch history since the early 17th century...
, died out in 1708. After that, the Frisian stadtholder
Stadtholder
A Stadtholder A Stadtholder A Stadtholder (Dutch: stadhouder [], "steward" or "lieutenant", literally place holder, holding someones place, possibly a calque of German Statthalter, French lieutenant, or Middle Latin locum tenens...
Johan Willem Friso of Orange-Nassau became lord of Ameland and after him, his son the stadtholder of all the Netherlands William IV of Orange and his grandson William V of Orange.
Only in the constitution of 1813 was the island finally integrated into the Netherlands (into the province of Friesland
Friesland
Friesland is a province in the north of the Netherlands and part of the ancient region of Frisia.Until the end of 1996, the province bore Friesland as its official name. In 1997 this Dutch name lost its official status to the Frisian Fryslân...
). The kings and queens of the Netherlands still maintain the title Vrijheer van Ameland today.
In 1871 and 1872, a dike was built between Ameland and the mainland by a society for the reclamation of Frisian land from the sea. The dike ran from Holwerd to Bueren and was 8.7 km (5 mi). long. The province and the Dutch realm each paid 200,000 guilders. In the end, it was unsuccessful; the dike did not prove to be durable and in 1882, after heavy storms in the winter, repair and maintenance of the dam were stopped. The dike can still be partially seen at low tide. The dam at Holwerd
Holwerd
Holwerd is a village in the northern Netherlands, in the province of Friesland. Wadloopcentrum Fryslân in Holwerd is a center for the training of wadlopen guides and the preservation of the sport. It was the birthplace of astronomer Johannes Phocylides Holwarda. Holwerd had a station on the North...
is the beginning of this dike.
In 1940 German troops were ferried to the island and within hours Ameland was under the control of the German Army. Because of its limited military value the Allies never invaded Ameland. The German forces on the island did not surrender until June 2, 1945, almost a full month after the defeat of Nazi Germany.
Nature
Like all West and East Frisian Islands, Ameland is a unique piece of nature. The profusion of different plants on the island is caused by the immense variety of landscapes. One of the scenic areas is the Oerd, a large complex of dunes which is still expanding by the year. Because of the differing landscapes and types of flora, over 60 different species of birds are sitting there every year. At the eastern part of the Oerd lays a beach plain called the Hon.Besides dunes and beaches, Ameland has some woods, like the Nesser bos ("Wood of Nes"). This wood belongs to Nes, but a local legend tells a different story about the owner of this property. Every now and then, the owner according to the legend is pointed out in mysterious ways.
Transport
Most travelers reach the island by ferry from HolwerdHolwerd
Holwerd is a village in the northern Netherlands, in the province of Friesland. Wadloopcentrum Fryslân in Holwerd is a center for the training of wadlopen guides and the preservation of the sport. It was the birthplace of astronomer Johannes Phocylides Holwarda. Holwerd had a station on the North...
in the mainland of Friesland
Friesland
Friesland is a province in the north of the Netherlands and part of the ancient region of Frisia.Until the end of 1996, the province bore Friesland as its official name. In 1997 this Dutch name lost its official status to the Frisian Fryslân...
, but there is also an Airport near Ballum (Ameland Airport
Ameland Airport
Ameland Airport , also known as Ameland Airport Ballum, is a small general aviation airport located near the town of Ballum on the western part of the island of Ameland, one of the West Frisian Islands in the Netherlands...
). A bus service connects the ferries from Hollum/Ballum (route 130) and Buren/Nes (route 132). When the sea from Friesland to Ameland is low tide, people can just walk across it, and travel between the sea
Notable people
The following people were born on Ameland:- Hannes de BoerHannes de BoerHannes de Boer was a Dutch long jumper. He took part in the Olympic Games of 1924 and 1928. He finished in sixth place in 1928, jumping a distance of 6.32m....
(1899–1982), long jumper - Jan BruinJan BruinJan Bruin is a retired Dutch footballer. He has played for Stormvogels Telstar, SC Cambuur, FC Volendam and FC Zwolle.-External links:* at Voetbal International...
(1969), footballer - Willem Cornelis de Groot (1853–1939), architect
- Johannes cardinal de JongJohannes de JongJohannes de Jong was a Dutch Cardinal of the Roman Catholic Church. He served as Archbishop of Utrecht from 1936 until his death, and was elevated to the cardinalate in 1946 by Pope Pius XII....
(1885–1955), archbishop of Utrecht