Het Bildt

het Bildt
Church and water tower of Sint Jacobiparochie
Church and water tower of Sint Jacobiparochie
Flag of het Bildt
Coat of arms of het Bildt
Highlighted position of het Bildt in a municipal map of Friesland
Location in Friesland
Coordinates: 53°17′N 5°40′E / 53.283°N 5.667°E / 53.283; 5.667
CountryNetherlands
ProvinceFriesland
Government
 • BodyMunicipal council
 • MayorGerrit Krol (CDA)
Area
 • Total116.48 km2 (44.97 sq mi)
 • Land92.37 km2 (35.66 sq mi)
 • Water24.11 km2 (9.31 sq mi)
Elevation1 m (3 ft)
Time zoneUTC+1 (CET)
 • Summer (DST)UTC+2 (CEST)
Postcode
9047, 9075–9079
Area code0518
Websitewww.hetbildt.nl

het Bildt (Dutch: [ɦɛd ˈbɪlt] or [əd ˈbɪlt]) is a former municipality in the province of Friesland in the northern Netherlands; its capital was Sint Annaparochie. On 1 January 2018 it merged with the municipalities of Franekeradeel, Menameradiel and parts of Littenseradiel to form the new municipality Waadhoeke.

Het Bildt has 15.4 km (9.6 mi) of coastline. Its soil is very fertile and agriculture is a major part of its economy; crops grown include onions, potatoes, and a variety of fruits (mainly apples). Het Bildt was largely settled by Dutch inhabitants from South Holland; as a result, the language generally spoken there is "Bildts", a dialect that mixes Dutch (as spoken in South Holland) with West Frisian; Bildts is usually classified as a dialect of Dutch. All three languages - Bildts, Dutch, and West Frisian - are spoken in the area. Only in Minnertsga (which did not become a part of the municipality of Het Bildt until 1984) is West Frisian the predominant language. Signage in Het Bildt is generally bilingual, with names given in both Dutch and Bildts.

The name Het Bildt is formed out of the word opbilden which means the silting up of land.

Dutch topographic map of the municipality of Het Bildt, June 2015.
  1. ^ "Wnd. Burgemeester G. Krol" [Ad interim mayor G. Krol] (in Dutch). Gemeente het Bildt. Archived from the original on 23 December 2015. Retrieved 12 September 2013.
  2. ^ "Kerncijfers wijken en buurten 2020" [Key figures for neighbourhoods 2020]. StatLine (in Dutch). CBS. 24 July 2020. Retrieved 19 September 2020.
  3. ^ "Postcodetool for 9076BT". Actueel Hoogtebestand Nederland (in Dutch). Het Waterschapshuis. Archived from the original on 21 September 2013. Retrieved 12 September 2013.