Sneek
Sneek (; ) is a city southwest of Leeuwarden and seat of the former municipality of Sneek in the province of Friesland, the Netherlands. As of 2011 it is part of the municipality Súdwest-Fryslân. The city had approximately 33,855 inhabitants in January 2017. Sneek is situated in Southwest-Friesland, close to the Sneekermeer and is well known for its canals, the Waterpoort (Watergate, the symbol of the city), and watersport (Sneekweek). Sneek is one of the Friese elf steden (Eleven cities). The city is very important for the southwest area of Friesland (the "Zuidwesthoek"). History. History. Sneek was founded in  the 10th century as "Chud" on a sandy peninsula at the crossing site of a dike with an important waterway (called the "Magna Fossa" in old documents). This waterway was dug when the former Middelzee silted up. The dike can still be traced in the current street pattern and street names like "Hemdijk", "Oude Dijk" and "Oosterdijk". Sneek received several city rights in the 13th century, which became official in 1456. Sneek was now one of the eleven Frisian cities. This was also the beginning of a period of blooming trade for the city that would last until about 1550 . In 1492 construction of a moat and wall around the city began. In those days Sneek was the only walled city in Friesland. The Waterpoort and the Bolwerk remain today. Before 2011, the city was an independent municipality. Sister city Kurobe. Since September 10, 1970, Sneek and the Japanese city Kurobe have been sister cities. In 1970, Mayor L. Rasterhoff of Sneek visited the city of Kurobe and was named an Honorary citizen. Mayor H. Terade of Kurobe made a visit to Sneek in 1972. In 2000 delegations of both cities visited each other again. The Japanese showed the citizens  of Sneek a "Sneekplein" which was built in Kurobe. Language. Sneek has its own dialect that dates back to the Dutch language before 1600. Snekers is part of the stadsfries dialects. Trade and industry. The clothing store C&A started in 1841 with a store in Sneek. The Candyfactory Leaf produces Peppermint under the name as well as chewing gum (Sportlife) and various other sweets. The name "KING" has nothing to do with the English word 'king'; it stands for ("Quality equaled by nothing"). Sneek also has steel, machinery and rope factories. Since 1964 there is a factory of Yoshida YKK  from Kurobe. Besides that, the supermarket branch Poiesz, clothing brand Gaastra and Frisian gin called beerenburg from Weduwe Joustra are products that have their roots in Sneek. Places of interest. Sneek is well known as the center of watersports with over 130 watersport companies and 13 Marinas. It also has a historic inner city replete with houses of old upper-class families. Transport. By road, Sneek is connected to the A7 motorway and N354 Buses and trains in the town are operated by Arriva. Sneek is connected to other cities by four main waterways: Houkesloot, leading to the Prinses Margrietkanaal ; River de Geeuw, leading to IJlst; de Zwette, leading to Leeuwarden; Franekervaart, leading to Franeker. Art and Culture. Cultural Quarter. In 2010 there will be a Cultural Quarter, The municipality has made plans to connect various Cultural areas into one big Cultural Quarter. The total costs of the plans are about €35,000,000 and include Silver Ball. The Culture Award of Sneek is called The Silver Ball and has been awarded 11 times. The award is given annually to a person that has done an improvement/good job on the areas of Music and Culture for Sneek and its surroundings . Some of the winners are: Education. Sneek has eleven primary schools and three high schools. Living. Sneek has around 14,000 houses. Half of those houses are rental houses. There are new projects in different neighbourhoods. Extra Information. In 1519–1520, the Frisian warlord and freedom fighter Pier Gerlofs Donia spent his last days in Sneek. Donia died peacefully in bed at 12 on 18 October 1520. Pier is buried in Sneek in the 15th-century Groote Kerk (also called the Martinikerk). His tomb is located on the north side of the church. This quaint little city has a shopping center that  is walker and biker friendly. There are high-end clothing stores, restaurants, bars, music stores, cafes, coffee shops, and an old-fashioned candy store.