The town itself is located southeast of Sneek and southwest of Drachten. Heerenveen is the oldest peatcanal village in the Netherlands. Heerenveen is the fourth-largest place in Friesland in terms of population, but is not one of the eleven Frisian cities.
The municipality was formed on 1 July 1934, from parts of former municipalities Aengwirden and Schoterland, and a portion of the municipality of Haskerland. Boarnsterhim also merged into Heerenveen on 1 January 2014.[5]
The town was established in 1551 by three lords as a location to dig peat which was used for fuel, hence the name (heer is "lord", veen is "peat"). Heerenveen was not one of the traditional eleven cities in Friesland (Fryslân) as it did not have so-called city rights. However, it is now one of the larger municipalities of the province.
In the 19th century, Heerenveen developed because, besides its wealthy citizens, a large middle class also arrived. And with the nearby Oranjewoud, the town has since been known as "Het Friese Haagje" (The Frisian Hague). Heerenveen municipality was created in 1934.[5]
For a long time, Heerenveen was characterized by linear development. The total north-south length was five kilometers, while the width between the railway line and the highway was no more than one kilometer. In the 1970s, construction began on residential areas west of the railway line, extending to the Engelenvaart canal, which forms the municipal boundary. After this area was fully developed, expansion began on the east side in the 21st century.
Heerenveen is now approximately three kilometers wide and oval-shaped. This has resulted in Heerenveen merging with its neighboring villages (Oudeschoot, Nieuweschoot, Oranjewoud, Nijehaske, De Knipe, and Terband).
Heerenveen is notable for its world class sports facilities. These include the Abe Lenstra football stadium and the Thialfspeed skatingarena which was one of the first indoor 400m ice rinks in the world, and where international events draw large crowds. Thialf is also home to the city's ice hockey team, the Heerenveen Flyers. In 2006, the "Sportstad" (Sport City) project was completed, which included a gymnastics hall, swimming pool and an extension to the football stadium, all clustered together. The Abe Lenstra stadium is unusual because its capacity is larger than the number of inhabitants of the town. One of the few football venues to shares this distinction is Stade Félix Bollaert in Lens, France.
↑"Postcodetool for 8441ES". Actueel Hoogtebestand Nederland (in Dutch). Het Waterschapshuis. Archived from the original on 21 September 2013. Retrieved 11 September 2013.
Media related to Heerenveen at Wikimedia Commons
_crop-2.jpg){kind=link}