Buren, Friesland Explained

Buren
Settlement Type:Village
Pushpin Map:Netherlands Friesland#Netherlands
Pushpin Map Caption:Location in the province of Friesland
Coordinates:53.4472°N 5.7989°W
Subdivision Type:Country
Subdivision Name: Netherlands
Subdivision Type1:Province
Subdivision Name1: Friesland
Subdivision Type2:Municipality
Subdivision Name2: Ameland
Unit Pref:Metric
Elevation Footnotes:[1]
Elevation M:3.7
Area Total Km2:21.43
Population Footnotes:[2]
Population Total:740
Population As Of:2021
Population Density Km2:auto
Population Density Urban Km2:auto
Timezone:CET
Utc Offset:+1
Timezone Dst:CEST
Utc Offset Dst:+2
Postal Code Type:Postal code
Postal Code:9164
Area Code Type:Dialing code
Area Code:0519

Buren is the easternmost village on the island of Ameland, one of the West Frisian Islands and part of the Netherlands. Buren had, as of January 2017, a population of 715.[3]

History

The village was first mentioned in the late 11th century as Buren, and means neighbourhood.[4] Buren developed in the Late Middle Ages around a village square.[5] It was originally a Catholic village. Buren was home to 147 people in 1840.[6]

Rixt van het Oerd

Buren is also home to the infamous legend of the witch Rixt van het Oerd (e.g. Rixt of Oerd). This old lady would tie a lantern on a cow who she would chase into the dunes. She would hope for a ship to mistake the cow for a lighthouse, thinking it was a safe haven. Instead the ship would run aground on the sand bars along the coastline, leaving its cargo for her to pick up from the beach. One day in a heavy storm, she practiced her reckless way of making extra money and encountered the dead body of a drowned sailor. As she came closer she realized that it was her own son, Sjoerd. After realizing what she has done, every time there is now a storm raging over Ameland, she howls out her son's name in the wind.

In remembrance of the legend of Rixt van het Oerd, there is a small statue in the center of Buren.

500 years ago the population consisted of pirates and bandits, today the residents live from the tourist industry (school classes from Germany visit Ameland and stay at Buren).

Notes and References

  1. Web site: Postcodetool for 9164KA . nl . Actueel Hoogtebestand Nederland . Het Waterschapshuis . 26 April 2022 .
  2. Web site: Kerncijfers wijken en buurten 2021 . Central Bureau of Statistics . 26 April 2022 .
  3. http://statline.cbs.nl/Statweb/publication/?DM=SLNL&PA=83765NED&D1=0-1,3-4,8,11,14,28,31-32,99-104&D2=611-619,9821-9918&HDR=T&STB=G1&VW=T Kerncijfers wijken en buurten 2017
  4. Web site: Buren - (geografische naam). Etymologiebank . 26 April 2022 . nl.
  5. Web site: Nes . Ronald Stenvert & Sabine Broekhoven . 2000 . Waanders . Zwolle . 90 400 9476 4 . nl . 31 March 2022.
  6. Web site: Buren (Ameland) . Plaatsengids . 26 April 2022 . nl.