The region Het Bildt is situated in the Northwestern corner of
Friesland, the so called Frisian claysoil region.
To the North the region Het Bildt borders on the Waddensea
(Dutch wadden shallows) and on the Eastern, Southern and Western border
you'll find the municipalities Ferwerderadeel, Leeuwarderadeel,
Menaldumadeel and Franekeradeel.
In 1600 the "new Bildt" was empoldered and in 1715 once
again they empoldered a piece of land that was "aangeslibd"
(added on through mud, silt), which was called the Bildtpollen.
In three centuries the total embankment of the present settlement
was completed. A gigantic piece of work if you realize that it all had to
be done with shovel and wheelbarrow. The statue "De Slikwerker"
(The mud labourer) at Zwarte Haan near the Wadden coast has been erected
to give honour to all those diligent workers.
The latest large extension of the Bildt took place in 1984, not
through impoldering but through the municipal redivision of Friesland.
Since January 1st 1984 the municipality of the Bildt consists of the
core in St.-Annaparochie, St.-Jacobiparochie, Vrouwenparochie,
Oudebildtzijl, Westhoek en Minnertsga.
At the present it is a municipality of about 10.000 inhabitants with
an excellent level of provisions. Travel time to Leeuwarden - via the new
S10 - takes only ten minutes. Each village has a variety of shops, sport
and social cultural provisions. In regard to Sports activities there are
many sport fields with soccer accommodations, ice rinks, Dutch hand-tennis
(kaatsen) courts, tennis courts, gymnastic facilities, sports hall, indoor
swimming pool, leaping-pool terrain, manege etc.
Also the social, cultural provisions are well represented. You will
find: club houses, societies, playgrounds for toddlers, libraries,
concerthalls, a music school etc.etc.
There are plenty of schools for primary and advanced education.
In short a municipality where people love to live!
The text was copied and translated from the
information guide Municipality the Bildt 1992
