Everything about Franeker totally explained
Franeker is one of the eleven
cities of
Friesland and capital of the municipality of
Franekeradeel. It is located about 20 km west of
Leeuwarden on the
Van Harinxma Canal. As of 1 January 2006, it had 12,996 inhabitants. The city is most famous for the
Eise Eisinga Planetarium.
History
Franeker was founded around
800 as a
Carolingian stronghold. The name probably derives from
Froon-acker, meaning "country of the king"; the oldest street in the city is still called Froonacker. Beginning around the 11th century, Franeker developed into the administrative center
Westergoa.
Franeker received
city rights in
1374. In the 15th century,
Albert, Duke of Saxony established himself in Franeker. The city appeared for a time to be growing into the primary city of Friesland, but was eventually overshadowed in this role by Leeuwarden.
During the period of the
Dutch Revolt, the town sided early on with
William I.
From 1585 to 1811, the city housed the
University of Franeker, which was the second university in the Netherlands. It was closed shortly after the incorporation of the
Kingdom of Holland into the
French Empire. A successor institution, the
Rijksatheneum, was founded in 1815, but in 1847 it, too, closed.
The
Krystkongres (Christmas Congress), usually held in Franeker, is the annual convention for Frisian students living in Dutch student towns.
Culture
The city contains two major museums, the
Eise Eisinga Planetarium and the
Museum Martena. The Planetarium is an
orrery built by a local wool carder to explain a
conjunction of the planets and to help mitigate local fears of what would happen during the planets' alignment. Built in Eisinga's own living room, it's one of the oldest operating orreries in the world. The Museum Martena, opened in 2006, is housed in a manor house built in 1498 and is devoted to the history of the city and the region.
Railways
Franeker has a station on the
NS line between
Leeuwarden and
Harlingen. It also had a station on the
North Friesland Railway which was the terminus of a branch from Tzummarum. The line opened in October 1903 and closed in October 1933. The station building survives.
Sports
Since 1852 Franeker is the home of the, the most important tournament in
Frisian handball.
Being one of the Frisian cities, Franeker is also on the route of the
Elfstedentocht (Eleven-cities Tour), an endurance skating event held at irregular intervals depending on weather conditions.
Famous People from Franeker
Further Information
Get more info on 'Franeker'.
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