Joure (Dutch pronunciation: [ˈjʌurə] ; West Frisian: De Jouwer) is a town in the north of the Netherlands. It is the administrative center of De Fryske Marren, Friesland. With 13,090 inhabitants, it is also the most populous town in the municipality. [1]
Residents of Joure are called Jousters; they are also commonly referred to as Jouster Keallepoaten. The Frisian keallepoat (calf's leg) refers to a baked offering, which early Jousters made to a water spirit, offering gratitude for bestowing so much water on their lands. The product consists of two elongated pastries that are baked next to and against each other and therefore resemble calf legs. They are made from rye flour, honey and various herbs. [2]
Joure originated partly on top of a gaast (sand ridge) and a late Medieval dike that ran from the local toll house to Haskerhorne; the later Midstraat was built on the crown of this embankment. In addition to this, Joure also lay on a crossing of waterways next to the former village of Westermeer. In the early fifteenth century, many canals were dug by traders of the Hanseatic League. They were looking for a remote place that could only be reached through canals and by trekschuit , because these places were relatively safe from the feared Northerners. Then the Kolk was also dug, from where a De Overspitting waterway to Heerenveen was dug.
During the Great Depression of the twentieth century there was a lot of activity in Joure. The peat that came from the present day lake of Nannewiid, south of Oudehaske, was transported on prams in Joure and was transferred to skûtsjes . This transfer took place at the place where the Oerdracht church now stands.
Some street names, such as Eeltsjebaes, Aukebaes and Hettebaes, still recall the shipyards, where new skûtsjes and prams were made, but many repairs were also made. Before World War II, Joure was part of an extensive horse-drawn tram network. Joure was connected with Sneek, Lemmer and Heerenveen. The Stationsstraat is a street name from that era. Before the construction of these rails, roads had to be built of which the Tramwei street is a reminder. Before then, people were used to doing all transport by boat.
Joure is traditionally not a city, but also too big to be called a village. According to Old Frisian tradition, such a place is called a vlecke .
There are different theories about the origin of the name Joure or De Jouwer. It is often thought that it comes from the Frisian word Hjouwer, which refers to oats. [3] [4]
Joure is also inextricably linked to that of Douwe Egberts (DE). In 1753, Douwe Egberts' father, Egbert Douwes, started a colonial merchandise business on the Midstraat in Joure, which has become the well-known coffee roaster. For years, there was another DE store on the Midstraat. It was closed on 24 October 2014.
Until the municipal reorganization of 1984, Joure was the administrative center of the former municipality of Haskerland and then until 2014 of the former municipality of Skarsterlân. Joure then became part of the municipality of De Fryske Marren.
The Haulster forests lie east of Joure. De Haskerveenpolder is located north of Joure. The Langweerderwielen is a lake located west of Joure. Joure has a public subtropical swimming pool, marina, a historic town center, and water-rich residential areas.
The town has been renowned since the 18th century for the manufacture of traditional Frisian clocks ('stoelklokken' and 'staartklokken'). This was pure home-industry aided by the presence of a local copper-melting facility. As of today, a handful of skilled tradesmen continue to manufacture these clocks.
In 1753 Egbert Douwes founded a company selling colonial goods in Joure. Starting in a small store, this venture really began to evolve as an industrial giant during the 1930-1950s. Family heirs renamed the company to Douwe Egberts and made it a world imperium, mainly focusing on coffee, tea and tobacco. As of today, many people in this town still have jobs at or related to DE, even though its headquarters moved to the city of Utrecht decades ago. Further typical industries that helped Joure grow are those related to the furniture and graphic sectors.
Tourism has always been important and Joure offers a wide variety of uniquely typical Frisian attractions of historical, cultural and recreational significance. Its central location as well its sound transportation system make a visit to "De Flecke" easy and memorable.
There are two restored windmills in Joure, De Groene Molen and Penninga's Molen. The base of a third mill, Wielinga-stam also survives. [5]
Joure is twinned with:
Leeuwarden is a city and municipality in Friesland, Netherlands, with a population of 127,073 (2023). It is the provincial capital and seat of the Provincial Council of Friesland.
Heerenveen is a town and municipality in the province of Friesland (Fryslân), in the Northern Netherlands. In 2021, the town had a population of 29,790 while the municipality had a population 50,859.
Skarsterlân is a former municipality in the province of Friesland in the Netherlands. The municipality was created 1 January 1984 by merging the municipalities of Doniawerstal and Haskerland, the part of Utingeradeel consisting of the villages Akmarijp and Terkaple and the village Nieuwebrug that used to belong to Heerenveen. City hall was located in Joure. On 1 January 2014 it merged with the municipalities of Lemsterland and Gaasterlân-Sleat to form the new municipality De Fryske Marren.
Lemmer is a town in the municipality of De Fryske Marren, in the Dutch province of Friesland. Lemmer lies adjacent to the IJsselmeer and the Frisian Lakes and is one of Friesland's best-known surface water sports locations. Lemmer is a bustling lakeside resort in the summer months and attracts not only day-trippers from surrounding communities such as Emmeloord, Urk, and Joure, but also national and international tourists.
Balk is a town in the northern Netherlands. It is a village of the municipality De Fryske Marren, province Friesland, and is located about 17 km southwest of Sneek.
Oudehaske is a village in De Fryske Marren in the province of Friesland, the Netherlands. It had a population of around 1980 in 2017.
Vegelinsoord is a village in De Fryske Marren municipality in the province of Friesland, the Netherlands. It had a population of around 390 in 2017.
De Achlumer Molen is a smock mill in Achlum, Friesland, Netherlands which has been restored to working order. The mill is listed as a Rijksmonument, number 15821.
De Broekmolen is a smock mill in Broeksterwâld, Friesland, Netherlands which has been restored to working order. The mill is listed as a Rijksmonument, number 11678.
Aylvapoldermolen is a smock mill in Burgwerd, Friesland, Netherlands which has been restored to working order. The mill is listed as a Rijksmonument, number 15626.
De Modderige Bol is a Hollow Post mill in Goëngahuizen, Friesland, Netherlands which has been restored to working order. The mill is listed as a Rijksmonument, number 34001.
Welgelegen or Tjepkema's Molen is a smock mill in Heerenveen, Friesland, Netherlands, which was built in 1849 and has been restored to working order. The mill is listed as a Rijksmonument, No. 21171.
The Hegebeintumer Mûne is a smock mill in Hegebeintum, Friesland, Netherlands which was built in 1860. The mill has been restored to working order. It is listed as a Rijksmonument, number 15629.
De Groene Molen is a hollow post mill in Joure, Friesland, Netherlands which was built c. 1800. The mill has been restored so that it can turn by wind. It is listed as a Rijksmonument, number 18208.
Penninga's Molen or De Jonge Wester is a smock mill in Joure, Friesland, Netherlands which was built in 1900 and is working for trade. It is also used as a training mill. The mill is listed as a Rijksmonument, number 20842.
De Vlijt or Molen 't Op is a post mill in Koudum, Friesland, Netherlands which was built in 1986 and is working in working order. The mill is listed as a Rijksmonument, number 34081.
De Fryske Marren 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. 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).
Fedde Schurer was a Dutch schoolteacher, journalist, language activist and politician, and one of the most influential poets in the West Frisian language of the 20th century.
Abe de Vries is a Frisian poet, essayist, literary critic, journalist, editor, translator and photographer.