| Kuinre | |
| Settlement Type: | Village |
| Native Name: | De Kuunder |
| Pushpin Map: | Netherlands Overijssel#Netherlands |
| Pushpin Label Position: | right |
| Pushpin Map Caption: | Location in the Netherlands |
| Subdivision Type: | Country |
| Subdivision Name: | Netherlands |
| Subdivision Type1: | Province |
| Subdivision Name1: | Overijssel |
| Subdivision Type2: | Municipality |
| Subdivision Name2: | Steenwijkerland |
| Elevation Footnotes: | [1] |
| Elevation M: | 0 |
| Area Total Km2: | 13.10 |
| Population Footnotes: | [2] |
| Population Total: | 930 |
| Population As Of: | 2021 |
| Population Density Km2: | auto |
| Timezone: | CET |
| Utc Offset: | +1 |
| Timezone Dst: | CEST |
| Utc Offset Dst: | +2 |
| Postal Code Type: | Postal code |
| Postal Code: | 8374 |
| Area Code Type: | Dialing code |
| Area Code: | 0527 |
| Coordinates: | 52.7864°N 5.8433°W |
Kuinre (Low Saxon: De Kuunder) is a village in the Dutch province of Overijssel. It was a separate municipality until 1973, when it became a part of IJsselham, which in turn merged into the municipality of Steenwijkerland in 2001.
Kuinre is a former harbour town with a rich history. Back in the days of the Zuiderzee, Kuinre's harbour was an important port of the Zuiderzee. After completion of the Noordoostpolder Kuinre became landlocked; companies, shops, and fishermen went out of business.
Kuinre is a village which developed at the mouth of the and the Linde. Around 1165, a castle was built about one kilometre south of the settlement by the Prince-bishop of Utrecht. In 1196, the castle was destroyed by the Count of Holland. In 1376, Kuinre provided shelter for pirates. In 1385, it was given buurrecht, significant privileges.[3] In 1672, Kuinre was destroyed by the Prince-Bishop of Münster. Later, it became a quiet fishing harbour.[4] The excavation of peat resulted in a revival as an export harbour. In 1840, it was home to 870 people.[5]
The Afsluitdijk, closure dike which turned the Zuiderzee into a lake, resulted in an economic decline. In 1939, a petition was signed by 348 of the 372 voters to transfer Kuinre from Overijssel to Friesland, because Kuinre felt neglected by the province, and thought that its independence as a municipality was threatened. The petition was ignored. In 1973, it ceased to be an independent municipality.[5]