Dantumadiel () is a municipality in the province of Friesland in the Netherlands. Dantumadiel is a rural municipality characterized by agriculture.
History The earliest mention of Dantumadiel was in a document from 1242. At that time Dantumadiel, or Donthmadeil as it was then known, was a part of the Winninghe district, the northern part of Oostergo. The grietenij (municipality) Dantumadiel was led by a grietman (mayor) who was holding office in Rinsumageast and Dantumawâld. The Dutch Municipalities Act of 1851 (Dutch: Gemeentewet van 1851) abolished the grietenijen, which automatically became gemeenten (municipalities) headed by a mayor.
Population centres The Dantumadiel municipality is composed of 11 towns with a total of 19,030 inhabitants in 2014; the towns and their 2014 populations are listed in the table.
NameResidentsDamwâld5,640De Westereen5,087Feanwâlden *3,521Broeksterwâld1,168Rinsumageast1,139Wâlterswâld993Driezum974De Falom265Readtsjerk198Sibrandahûs45
Source: Website Dantumadiel municipality
* Including Feanwâldsterwâl
Main sights Damwâld (Dantumawâld and Moarrewâld) and Rinsumageast, are home to medieval churches. The villages Broeksterwâld (Grutte Mûne and De Broekmolen) Rinsumageast and Readtsjerk are home to mills. The Skierstins a medieval fortified house in Feanwâlden.
Notable people
Maria Petronella Woesthoven (1760 in Dantumawoude – 1830) a poet Tjeerd Pasma (1904 in Rinsumageast – 1944) a modern pentathlete, competed at the 1928 Summer Olympics Piet Jongeling (1909 in Broeksterwâld – 1985) journalist, politician and children's books writer Theun de Vries (1907 in Feanwâlden – 2005) writer and poet Jannes van der Wal (1956 in Driezum – 1996) a Dutch/Frisian draughts player Syb van der Ploeg (born 1966 in Dokkum) musician and composer Theo Pijper (born 1980 in Dokkum) a motorcycle speedway rider in the UK
Politics The Dantumadiel municipal government consists of a municipal council, board of aldermen and the mayor. Anja Haga has been acting mayor of Dantumadiel since November 2024.
References
External links