Boksum | |
Settlement Type: | Village |
Pushpin Map: | Netherlands Friesland#Netherlands |
Pushpin Label Position: | right |
Pushpin Mapsize: | 250 |
Pushpin Map Caption: | Location in the Netherlands |
Coordinates: | 53.1833°N 49°W |
Subdivision Type: | Country |
Subdivision Name: | Netherlands |
Subdivision Type1: | Province |
Subdivision Name1: | Friesland |
Subdivision Type2: | Municipality |
Subdivision Name2: | Waadhoeke |
Unit Pref: | Metric |
Area Total Km2: | 2.71 |
Elevation Footnotes: | [1] |
Elevation M: | 0.7 |
Population As Of: | 2021 |
Population Footnotes: | [2] |
Population Total: | 420 |
Population Density Km2: | auto |
Timezone: | CET |
Utc Offset: | +1 |
Timezone Dst: | CEST |
Utc Offset Dst: | +2 |
Postal Code Type: | Postal code |
Postal Code: | 9031 |
Area Code Type: | Dialing code |
Area Code: | 058 |
Boksum (in Dutch; Flemish pronounced as /ˈbɔk.sʏm/) is a village in Waadhoeke municipality in the province of Friesland, the Netherlands. It had a population of around 400 people in 2020[3] Before 2018, the village was part of the Menameradiel municipality.
The village was first mentioned in the 13th century as Boxum, meaning "settlement of Bokke or Bokse".[4] Boksum was a terp (artificial living hill) village with a radial structure which dates from before Christ. It was built close to the Middelzee.[5] The Dutch Reformed church has elements from the 12th century, and has been enlarged several times.[5] The tower collapsed in 1842 and was rebuilt in 1843 using the stones of the previous tower.[5]
On 17 January 1586, the last battle of the Dutch Revolt in Friesland was fought near Boksum. The Spanish won the battle, and an estimated 1,000 Dutch soldiers died; however, the ice had started to melt and an easy passage to the capital Leeuwarden over the ice was no longer an option.[6]
Boksum was home to 237 people in 1840.[7] The terp was partially excavated in 1869.[6]
Modern Boksum has a bakery, a community center and two churches. The oldest of the two churches is still used as a church belonging to the Dutch Reformed Church. The elementary school was used to teach three languages: Dutch, West Frisian and English, but closed in 2019 due a lack of students. The remainder of the school was incorporated into the elementary school in Deinum, an adjacent village.