Leeuwarden and surrounds

Leeuwarden, or, in the Frisian language, Ljouwert, is the capital of the province of Fryslân and its largest city, of about 90 000 inhabitants. It obtained city rights in 1247 and has been the centre of government from the early 16th century. Its economy began to change at the end of the 19th century from purely agricultural to a centre of commerce and industry.

It is a lively city with many examples of its past; there are historical buildings, musea and picturesque canals. Probably the most typical sight is the Oldehove, a gothic tower dating back to 1532 and part of the St. Vitus church; because during construction the tower started to lean, it was never finished. So Leeuwarden has a leaning tower too.

The municipality of Leeuwarderadeel (Ljouwerteradiel), north of Leeuwarden, covers an area of a little over 41 square km and centres around its seat in the town of Stiens, about 5 km north of the Frisian capital. This is a flat land of meadows, picturesque villages with old churches, largely Frisian speaking, as can be seen from the street names in the villages and the text on tombstones in the churchyards.

	Oldehove, Leeuwarden	Voorstreek, Leeuwarden	Oldehove, Leeuwarden	Buying cheese
	Vegetable market	Winter in Leeuwarden	Houses in Jelsum	Farm in Jelsum
	Churchyard in Jelsum	Church, Jelsum	Gravestones, Jelsum	Windmill in Stiens

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