De Fryske Marren (Dutch: De Friese Meren) is a municipality of Friesland in the northern Netherlands. It was established 1 January 2014 and consists of the former municipalities of Gaasterlân-Sleat, Lemsterland, Skarsterlân and parts of Boarnsterhim, all four of which were dissolved on the same day.[1][6] The municipality is located in the province of Friesland, in the north of the Netherlands, and has a population of 51,778 and a combined area of 559.93 km2 (216.19 sq mi).
History
Municipal mergers are commonplace in the Netherlands: over the course of the 20th century the number of municipalities was reduced by more than half, from 1,121 in 1900 to 537 in 2000.[7] Several of the municipalities that were amalgamated into De Fryske Marren were themselves the result of mergers as well: Gaasterlân-Sleat, Skarsterlân and Boarnsterhim were created during a series of mergers that took effect 1 January 1984. Government policy at the time of the creation of De Fryske Marren was that new mergers should have local support and be initiated by the effected municipalities themselves.[8]
The municipalities of Gaasterlân-Sleat, Lemsterland and Skarsterlân were all rural municipalities with a relatively highly developed tourism industry. In 2007 the first two evaluated their functioning as municipalities and both concluded they could benefit from a municipal merger. The following year all three municipal councils decided they were in favour of investigating the benefits of a merger. The report from this study was publicly available for eight weeks and resulted in two negative replies. One of these was from the municipality of Heerenveen, which suggested a merger between them and Lemsterland and Skarsterlân or, alternatively, only parts of Skarsterlân. The province of Friesland, home to these municipalities, rejected these options, although the final draft of the merger proposal specified that two towns from Skarsterlân, Nieuwebrug and Haskerdijken, would become part of Heerenveen, while the rest would be included in De Fryske Marren.[9][10] A second merging discussion involved the dissolution of Boarnsterhim. The municipal council of Boarnsterhim concluded the municipality was too small to warrant the continued existence of a separate municipality. In the final advice regarding its dissolution it was suggested that the current municipality be split into four parts; one of these, the town of Terherne, would be included in De Fryske Marren. The other three parts were divided among three preexisting municipalities: The northern part, including the actual town of Boarnsterhim, was assigned to Leeuwarden, the southern part to Heerenveen and the western part to Súdwest-Fryslân.[11] After approval by both the House of Representatives and the Senate, the creation of De Fryske Marren (at that time called De Friese Meren) became law in June 2013 and took effect 1 January 2014.[1][6]
Etymology
De Friese Meren was the original name specified for the municipality in the law that established it.[6] This was the same name that had been proposed for the municipality since the initial plans of its conception were tabled by the predecessor municipalities of Gaasterlân-Sleat, Lemsterland and Skarsterlân. The name is Dutch for "The Frisian Lakes", in reference to the lakes in the area.[10] By law, any municipality in the Netherlands can change its name with at least a one-year notice.[12] As the municipality already hinted at this possibility on its website,[13] it officially changed its name to the West Frisian translation De Fryske Marren on 1 July 2015.[14]
Sjoukje Dijkstra (born 1942 in Akkrum) former competitive figure skater, the 1964 Olympic champion in ladies' singles, the 1960 Olympic silver medalist
Rintje Ritsma (born 1970 in Lemmer) former Dutch long track speed skater, participated in five Winter Olympics, winning two silver and four bronze medals
^ abc"Herindeling" [New subdivisions] (in Dutch). Uitvoeringsorganisatie De Friese Meren. Archived from the original on 4 September 2013. Retrieved 25 August 2013.
^"College B&W" [Board of mayor and aldermen] (in Dutch). Gemeente De Friese Meren. Archived from the original on 18 January 2014. Retrieved 16 January 2014.
^Ekamper, Peter; van der Erf, Rob; van der Gaag, Nicole; Henkes, Kène; van Imhoff, Evert; van Poppel, Frans (2003). "Chapter: Provincies en gemeenten, 1850–2000" [Provinces and municipalities, 1850–2000]. Bevolkingsatlas van Nederland: demografische ontwikkelingen van 1850 tot heden [Population atlas of the Netherlands: demographic developments from 1850 to now] (in Dutch). Rijswijk: Uitgeverij Elmar. pp. 21–27. ISBN9038913648. Archived from the original(link to PDF) on 3 June 2012. Retrieved 28 August 2013.
^"Gemeentelijke herindeling" [Municipal mergers]. rijksoverheid.nl (in Dutch). Government of the Netherlands. 2 July 2010. Retrieved 28 August 2013.
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