Smallingerland

Smallingerland is a municipality in the province of Friesland inside the Netherlands. The call "Smallingerland" is derived from the previous hamlet Smalle Ee, which used to have a chief monastery. In the 14th century the yearly fair of Smalle Ee have become equally critical as those of Leeuwarden and Dokkum. The call Drachten is likely a by-product from the old Frisian word Darch, meaning "peaty soil". The critical feature of Drachten within the district is going lower back to 1641. A Holland businessman concept it would pay to take advantage of the peat. 800 people had been employed to dig the Drachtstervaart canal.

The peat exploitation became a unhappiness, however the production of the Drachtstervaart canal brought on different sports, including shipbuilding. The ordinary peat bog landscape can nonetheless be visible, especially near Drachtstercompagnie. Since the 1950s Drachten advanced hastily. Right now, Drachten has an crucial characteristic in the location. Smallingerland has 13 smaller villages except Drachten, the most important being Opeinde, with 1,731 residents, the smallest being Smalle Ee, with 57 villagers.