sustainable - Gemeente Leeuwarden

Leeuwarden
Capital of Friesland
(Look; that’s what we like about Leeuwarden)

Leeuwarden is a dynamic and vibrant city and is the
economic hub of Friesland. It is situated in a green and
water-rich environment, with lakes and recreational
areas in the immediate vicinity. Leeuwarden is a former
royal residence and has a beautiful historic centre,
a wealth of listed buildings, fun shops and relaxing
terraces. At the same time it offers state-of-the-art
facilities for its residents, as well as for students
and entrepreneurs.
(Come and see the beauty of Leeuwarden!)

Leeuwarden is primarily a Water City.
The start and finish of the Elfstedentocht –
the famous day-long skating competition.
The city has a watery heart and a heart for
water. The city canals, the quays and the
city river de Potmarge have been beautifully
restored and renovated in recent years.
The presence of water determines the city’s
image and atmosphere. This aspect is not only
important for the residents who love to live
there, but also for those who come here for
leisure and (water) tourism.
The Prinsentuin Marina is located in the heart
of the inner city. The wide and narrow canals
of the city are navigable to flatboats, canoes,
rowing boats. In the summer there are open air
cafes along many of the canals.
Moreover, water is a major factor for research
and development of water technology
and sustainability. There will be major
developments over the next few years. Take for
instance the expansion of the Water Campus in
Leeuwarden´s green heart.
The Water Campus comprises businesses and
institutions such as Wetsus, where scientists
from all over the world work to find solutions
to problems in drinking water, waste water
purification and water distribution,
for instance.
The Water Campus is a hub in the global water
engineering network which brings together
expertise to enable innovation. Leeuwarden
plays a leading role in Europe.
Space Galore
Leeuwarden rests in spacious surroundings.
The air is clean, the wind is fresh and the water
quality is high. Although these characteristics are
becoming rare in many parts of the Netherlands,
here they are plentiful. The Frisian capital,
surrounded by meadows and characteristic
villages, is a junction in the sailing route between
Wadden Sea, the Frisian Lakes and the Ysselmeer.
Outside the city, the landscape is spacious and
green. Yet whoever enters the town experiences
a full-blown city. The city clusters around its
historical centre: a treasure trove of national
and municipal monuments, a varied area for
shopping and entertainment and a sizeable
business area with prominent office towers
visible from afar.
ater
Situated around the city centre are various
residential neighbourhoods. North of the city lies
the Leeuwarden Wood. The expanding business
sections are located to the West and East. To the
South of Leeuwarden work is in progress on the
latest development plans.
The growing districts of Zuiderburen and
Zuidlanden are hallmarks of modern city
architecture. In Zuiderburen water plays a major
role. In the Zuidlanden district, the nije buorren
[Frisian: new neighbourhood] neighbourhoods
are built with a modern design.

Economic motor
Leeuwarden is the economic motor for the
province of Fryslân, providing full employment
for no less than 55,000 people. So Leeuwarden
provides almost onethird of the total
employment within the province. Leeuwarden
houses the City Council and the Provincial
Government of Fryslân as well as various other
governmental institutions.
science
Financial services are strongly represented
within the Leeuwarden economy. There are
insurance companies, call centres, and since
a few years ago, companies involved in water
technology. Leeuwarden, as a base for major
scientific institutions and water technology
companies, also attracts other companies and
institutions, as well as students, of course.
Leeuwarden remains an attractive place
of business to entrepreneurs. The local
government strives to provide a better service
to entrepreneurs by supporting them with
information and assistance. Many employers
appreciate the mentality of the Frisian
employees. The people here are diligent, serious
and dedicated to their profession.
Leeuwarden more and more presents
itself as a City of Science. The city
invests in science, in professional
universities, in development and
research. Leeuwarden is proud of
the collaboration with scientific
institutes, such as Wetsus (water
technology), Centre of Expertise
Water Technology (CEW), the Wadden
Academy (knowledge institute for
the Wadden region), the Fryske
Akademy (multilingual, emphasis on
Frisian language and culture) and
the University Campus Fryslân (UCF)
knowledge network.
On the Science Campus of
Leeuwarden, three professional
universities collaborate with
students and businesses in projects
linking theoretical knowledge to
business practice. This cooperation
results in surprising innovations,
for example in the field of water,
multimedia and the application of
ICT-facilities. The Science Campus
is also a hotbed for beginning
entrepreneurs, who launch their own
innovative company after completing
their education.

On the outskirts of the city, surprising
new neighbourhoods are being
created with substantial green areas
and water. Simultaneously, ambitious
city renewal plans are in progress in
the inner city as well as in a number of
existing neighbourhoods.
This makes Leeuwarden a city in
which everyone can find a house
to his/her liking: student digs, a
detached house, or an apartment
located near to water. .
esidence
Young and old
The city of Leeuwarden consists of the city itself in
addition to eight surrounding villages. The number
of inhabitants exceeds 95,000. For Leeuwarden
turns out to be a pleasant town for young and old.
In the field of education, Leeuwarden has a host
of schools and educational programmes available.
Children may find education in Leeuwarden
ranging from primary school to professional
university education. Moreover, Leeuwarden
has three schools for intermediary professional
education, three professional universities and
a Pop Academy. Additionally, Twente University
and Groningen University offer several university
foundational courses. This makes Leeuwarden an
attractive town for students. The figures illustrate
this: the town has 17,000 professional university
students and 11,000 students in intermediary
professional education.
Much is available in Leeuwarden for those who
want to be out on the town and enjoy art, culture
and hospitality. You will find six museums, including
three fairly renowned ones: the Fries Museum, the
Ceramics Museum Princessehof and the Nature
Museum Fryslân. And besides a Holland Casino, the
city also houses an exhibition centre, WTC Expo,
a venue that offers 45,000 m 2 floor space, and a
theatre which is among the five largest theatres in
the country: City Theatre De Harmonie. The streets
are lined with discos, cinemas, surprising shops,
many cafés and restaurants in all shapes and sizes
spiced with flavours from all around the world.
In the field of care, Leeuwarden has an excellent
hospital with special medical facilities, numerous
care institutions and multifunctional residential
service zones for people who need home care. And
in addition to all of this, Leeuwarden has a pleasant
social climate. The Leeuwarden population
is friendly, hospitable and dedicated to their
community.

Future-oriented approach
Leeuwarden is a city of modern paradoxes. Yet,
here, the apparent contradictions co-exist very
well. The Frisian capital, the economic motor of
Fryslân, is situated in spacious surroundings with
meadows, lakes and leisure areas. The city may
be regarded as a treasure trove of national and
municipal monuments. Yet, it also boasts stateof-the
art facilities for students and companies.
Leeuwarden invests in its past as well as in
research, development, ICT and in high-quality
facilities. The city rests in the countryside, where
students, old age pensioners and families feel at
home and where business finds space to flourish.
Leeuwarden is a lovely, exciting and Thus, the City Council aims to improve
enterprising city. The inhabitants and waste processing as well as the quality
visitors of Leeuwarden want to be able of air and water. Moreover, it wants
to enjoy the city well into the future. to reduce energy consumption, CO2
So the City Council of Leeuwarden emissions and it wants to reinforce the
pursues an active sustainability
social climate. Leeuwarden ranks in
policy. This relates to sustainable
the top-ten of the Local Sustainability
actions, sustainable organisation
meter, a listing of municipalities with
sustainable
and sustainable entrepreneurship. policies aimed at sustainability.
Leeuwarden possesses many qualities: a lovely
environment, a monumental inner city with a
charming character, excellent services, good
connections, a strong economy and a firm social
climate. Moreover, Leeuwarden is among the
most beautiful and sustainable municipalities
of our country. The City Council of Leeuwarden
takes a future-oriented approach. The City
Council continuously pursues its spearheads of
sustainability, science, water and culture, while
investing in the quality of life for young and old.
The city of Leeuwarden bustles with vitality.

In a distant past, Leeuwarden
was home to princes. The Frisian
stadtholders resided in the city.
There are numerous monuments
reminding of those days: Palace the
Stadhouderlijk Hof (stadtholder
court), the Princessehof (princess
court), the Prinsentuin (princes’
garden), the crypt of the Grote Kerk
and the beautifully restored City Hall
The Frisian members of the Royal
Nassau family have given Leeuwarden
somewhat of a royal distinction.
Leeuwarden has many cultural
and historical, and archaeological
treasures. Yet it also boasts a treasure
of contemporary culture. Aside from
museums, a museum harbour and
galleries, a varied supply of theatre,
drama and music exist in the city.
Moreover, Leeuwarden has an events
calendar with offerings that are
only available in a provincial capital.
Prestigious, lively and possibly giving
cause for much discussion.
City of imagination
What makes Leeuwarden such a wonderful city
is the wealth of facilities it offers its residents,
tourists and visitors. And if they’re happy with
the quality of living and working here, they will
attract more residents, visitors and business.
Leeuwarden is thriving and more and more
people are finding their way to the capital
of Fryslân. After all, Leeuwarden has plenty
for your imagination with so much culture,
creativity and talent!
ulture

six historical figures
Anne Vondeling
remarkable politician
Jan Jacob Slauerhoff
poet and novelist
Jan Jacob Slauerhoff was one of the great
Dutch poets and novelists of the first half of
the 20th century. He was born in Leeuwarden
on 15 September 1898. Having completed his
secondary education in Leeuwarden, he studied
medicine in Amsterdam. After his studies he
became a ship’s doctor and travelled the globe.
He died, age 38, of malaria and tuberculosis,
having published a respectable number of novels
and collections of poetry.
M.C. Escher
world famous grafic artist
Maurits Cornelis Escher was born in 1898 in
Leeuwarden as the youngest son of a hydraulic
engineer, George Arnold Escher and Sarah
Gleichman. In 1903 the family moved to the
Dutch city of Arnhem. He worked in Spain, Italy
and Switzerland. Eventually he returned to the
Netherlands. Escher became world famous
for his wood engravings and lithographs in
which he played with mathematical principles,
perspectives, architecture and impossible spaces.
Anne Vondeling was a Member of Parliament,
Minister, Chairman of the Lower House and
Member of the European Parliament. He was born
in 1916 in the Frisian town of Appelscha. Vondeling
studied at the Wageningen Professional University
of Agriculture and was employed by the Provincial
Government of Friesland in 1940. In 1949 he moved
to Leeuwarden. In 1946 he joined the recently
established Partij van de Arbeid (PvdA, the Dutch
Social Democratic Party) and he was immediately
voted into the Lower House of Parliament. For
more than thirty years, Vondeling remained a
member of the Lower House, twice interrupted
when he served a term in office as a Minister; first
as a Minister of Agriculture, later as a Minister of
Finances. Vondeling felt that the Lower House of
Parliament should not act as a lamb but rather as a
lion. In 1979 he died in a traffic accident.
Mata Hari
dancer or double agent
Mata Hari is the most famous Frisian lady in
the world. She was born 1876 as Margaretha
Geertruida Zelle in Leeuwarden. Her father owned
a hat shop. In 1895 she married Captain Rudolph
MacLeod of the Royal Dutch East-Indian Army. In
1906, after their divorce had been finalized, she
went to live in Paris where she made a living as
an exotic dancer. Charged with high treason and
espionage for Germany she was condemned to
death and executed in France in 1917. Later, the
justice of the verdict was called into question. The
court dossier of the case will be published in 2017.
It may then become clear whether Mata Hari truly
was a spy for the Germans or whether she was
merely a scapegoat.
Marijke Meu
beloved princess
Piet Paaltjens
romantic author
The members of the Frisian Nassau family are
the ancestors of the current Dutch Royal family.
Particularly beloved was Maria Louise van Hessen-
Kassel, who was also referred to as ‘Princess
Marijke’. She was the widow of Johan Willem Friso
and the mother of Willem IV. Marijke Meu (aunt
Marijke) did much for the poor and the sick. She
often dispatched hermaidservant with a pot of
chicken soup. At her funeral on 13 June 1765,
when she was buried at an age of 77 the whole
population of Leeuwarden lined the streets to
honour her.
Piet Paaltjens is the pseudonym of author François
Haverschmidt (1835-1894), a well-known representative
of the romantic movement. His collection
of poetry, entitled ‘Snikken en Grimlachjes’, was
a masterpiece and was published in numerous
editions. François Haverschmidt was born on
Voorstreek in Leeuwarden. He studied theology
and served as a pastor in the Frisian towns of Foudgum
and Raard as well as in the Dutch ports of Den
Helder and Schiedam. As he grew older, he more
and more suffered from depressions. At age 60 he
put an end to his life by committing suicide.

This publication was initiated by the Municipality of Leeuwarden
www.leeuwarden.nl
Oldehoofsterkerkhof 2
P.O. Box 21000
8900 JA Leeuwarden
Telephone: 14 058
E-mail: gemeente@leeuwarden.nl
This project is co-financed by the European Union,
European Fund for Regional Development,
The Ministry of Economic Affairs, Agriculture and Innovation
and The Northern Netherlands Provinces (SNN)
2012-02-?
2012-03-30