Leeuwarden

Leeuwarden, gemeente (municipality), northern Netherlands. Leeuwarden lies at the junction of the Harlinger-Trek Canal and the Dokkumer Ee Canal. Originally a port on the Middelzee (reclaimed since the 13th century), it was chartered in 1435, became the capital of Friesland in 1504, and was from 1582 to 1747 the residence of the Frisian stadtholders of the house of Orange-Nassau, ancestors of the present Dutch royal family. A noted centre of goldwork and silverwork in the 16th–18th centuries, it is now the economic centre of Friesland.

Leeuwarden is a rail junction, has an important cattle market (Friesland Hall), and processes dairy foods; it also functions as a service centre, specializing in government activities, education, and financial services. The city’s Frisian Museum is the most extensive provincial museum in the Netherlands, with comprehensive cultural exhibits. The Princessehof Museum has Oriental displays, and the Pier Pander Museum features works of that sculptor. Historic buildings include the Kanselarij, a Renaissance building and originally the seat of the Frisian government and law courts; the former Weighhouse (1598); the town hall (1724); the Oldehove (1529), an unfinished tower (130 feet [40 metres]) that leans slightly; and the Sint Bonifatius Church. Pop. (2007 est.) 92,342.