Editing Leeuwarden (section)

==History==
[[File:Beschrijving van Heerlijkheydt van Friesland door Bernardus Schotanus à Sterringa uitgegeven in 1664 leeuwarden.JPG|left|thumb|Historical map of Leeuwarden 1664]]
[[File:Duit 1702 - Netherlands (Friesland - Frisia).jpg|left|thumb|Copper 1 duit coin minted in Leeuwarden in 1702. The obverse depicts the city's coat of arms.]]
The oldest remains of houses date back to the 2nd century AD in the Roman era and were discovered during an excavation near the [[Oldehove (tower)|Oldehove]]. Inhabited continuously since the 10th century, the city's first reference as a population centre is in German sources from 1285, and records exist of [[Town privileges|city privileges]] granted in 1435. {{Citation needed|reason=Authority granting this should be identified|date=December 2024}} Situated along the [[Middelzee]], it was an active centre of maritime trade.<ref>[https://historischcentrumleeuwarden.nl/english Stadsgeschiedenis Leeuwarden] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230405012409/https://historischcentrumleeuwarden.nl/english |date=5 April 2023 }}, [[Historisch Centrum Leeuwarden]].</ref> The waterway silted-up in the 13th century.<ref>Langen, G. de ''Leeuwarden 750 - 2000 Hoofdstad van Friesland'' p. 19 (Franeker 1999)</ref>
{{Historical populations
|title       = Historical population
|align       = right
|cols        = 
|pop_name    = 
|percentages = pagr
|footnote    = 
|source      = {{Harvnb|Lourens|Lucassen|1997|pp=13–15}} (1398–1795)
|1511|4360
|1565|6600
|1606|11330
|1666|16500
|1689|14300
|1744|13490
|1793|16446
|1795|12707
}}
The [[Grote or Jacobijnerkerk]] ({{langx|en|Great, or Jacobin Church}}) is the oldest building in the city. The 15th century was the period of the two opposing Frisian factional parties [[Vetkopers and Schieringers]]. The [[bastion]]s and a [[moat]] were built in the period 1481–1494. In 1747 [[William IV, Prince of Orange]] was the last [[stadtholder]] residing in the [[Stadhouderlijk Hof]]. In the first half of the 19th century the fortifications were demolished.

From 1580 to 1752, a provincial mint operated in the city, minting gold, silver and copper coins of Friesland.<ref>[http://www.duiten.nl/friesland.html De muntslag van Friesland] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20231125161845/http://www.duiten.nl/friesland.html |date=25 November 2023 }} www.duiten.nl</ref>

The Jewish community of Leeuwarden was one of the earliest in the Netherlands aside from [[Amsterdam]], and was first mentioned in 1645.<ref name="bh.org.il">{{cite web |title=The Jewish Community of Leeuwarden |url=https://dbs.bh.org.il/place/leeuwarden |publisher=The Museum of the Jewish People at Beit Hatfutsot |access-date=17 June 2018 |archive-date=17 June 2018 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180617115822/https://dbs.bh.org.il/place/leeuwarden |url-status=dead }}</ref><ref name="www.dutchjewry.org">{{cite web|title=The Jewish community of the city of Leeuwarden|url=https://www.dutchjewry.org/drieluik/leeuwarden/leeuwarden.shtml|publisher=www.dutchjewry.org|access-date=8 September 2018|archive-date=5 April 2023|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230405235500/https://www.dutchjewry.org/drieluik/leeuwarden/leeuwarden.shtml|url-status=live}}</ref> By 1670, the city council granted a man referred to as "Jacob the Jew" (in Dutch) permission to build a Jewish cemetery, meaning that there were enough Jews living there to require a cemetery and other communal institutions.<ref name="bh.org.il" /> Land for 'The Jodenkerkhof' (Jews' cemetery) was purchased in 1679, near the Oldehove tower.<ref name="www.dutchjewry.org" />

The first synagogue in the city was built in the 17th century, and was also used by the city's Catholics who were not allowed to build a house of worship of their own because of the Protestant city authorities.<ref name="bh.org.il" /> The Jewish community enjoyed generally good relations with authorities in the 18th century and continued to expand throughout the 18th and 19th centuries, reaching a peak population of 1,236 in 1860.<ref name="bh.org.il" />

[[File:Crowd welcoming the Stormont, Dundas and Glengarry Highlanders of Canada to Leeuwarden.jpg|left|thumb|Citizens of Leeuwarden welcoming units of the [[Canadian Army]], 16 April 1945]]

In 1901 the city's population was 32,203.

Leeuwarden, like the rest of the Netherlands, was occupied by [[Nazi Germany|German]] forces in 1940–1945. This ended when elements of the [[Royal Canadian Dragoons]] seized the initiative and advanced into the heavily-defended city on 15 April 1945, ignoring direct orders to wait for supporting infantry. German forces had been driven out by the end of the next day. (The anniversary is marked by both the Dragoons and the city, by flying each other's flags every 15 April.)<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://army.ca/forums/index.php?topic=29655.0|title=Army.ca forums|date=15 April 2005|access-date=18 July 2017|archive-date=16 April 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180416073619/https://army.ca/forums/index.php?topic=29655.0|url-status=live}}</ref>

''[[Kneppelfreed]]'' ({{langx|en|Baton Friday}}) was an incident on 16 November 1951 in front of the courthouse at Wilhelminaplein (Wilhelmina Square), when the police used [[baton (law enforcement)|batons]] against [[West Frisian language#Status|Frisian language]] activists during a protest against the exclusive use of Dutch in the courts.<ref>[http://www.11en30.nu/de-canon-vensters/kneppelfreed?language=ned Canon of Frisian History - Kneppelfreed] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240817115328/http://www.11en30.nu/de-canon-vensters/kneppelfreed?language=ned |date=17 August 2024 }} 11en30.nu Retrieved 28 March 2018.</ref> A committee of inquiry recommended that the Frisian language should receive legal status as a minority language.

On 19 October 2013, a fire broke out in a clothes shop on a busy pedestrian street. The fire started late in the afternoon and burned through the night, destroying five shops and eleven flats. The only casualty was a 24-year-old man who was living in one of the flats.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.efsca.org/IRD/Incident%20research%20%20De%20Kelders%20te%20Leeuwarden%20ENGELS.pdf|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180328231002/http://www.efsca.org/IRD/Incident%20research%20%20De%20Kelders%20te%20Leeuwarden%20ENGELS.pdf|url-status=dead|archive-date=28 March 2018|title=Summary of inspection report of fire along De Kelders in Leeuwarden, 19 October 2013|date=19 October 2013|website=European Fire Service Colleges' Association|access-date=18 July 2017}}</ref> The birthplace of [[Mata Hari]] was at first thought to be destroyed, but survived, albeit with considerable smoke and water damage.<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.sandiegouniontribune.com/hoy-san-diego/sdhoy-fire-destroys-house-where-mata-hari-was-born-2013oct20-story.html|title=Fire destroys house where Mata Hari was born|date=20 October 2013|website=San Diego Union Tribune|language=en|access-date=18 July 2017|archive-date=28 March 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180328164633/http://www.sandiegouniontribune.com/hoy-san-diego/sdhoy-fire-destroys-house-where-mata-hari-was-born-2013oct20-story.html|url-status=live}}</ref>