Harlingen (Frisian Harns), on the coast of the Waddenzee opposite the West Frisian islands of Vlieland and Terschelling, was founded in 1243 near the site of the town of Grayn, which was engulfed by the sea in 1134. The harbor of Harlingen, which was formerly a considerable trading town, still exports Frisian products and imports coal, timber and other industrial raw materials. In the harbor area are shipyards, fish- processing plants, woodworking factories and works producing building materials. There are ferries to the islands of Vlieland and Terschelling. The harbor is linked with Leeuwarden by the Van Harinxma Canal.
Simon Vestdijk, a famous writer, was born in Harlingen and writes about his hometown referring to it as Lahringen.
The Grote or Nieuwe Kerk (Reformed) of 1775 occupies the highest point on the terp on which the town grew up. It is the successor to a 12th century church, of which there remains only the tower (heightened in the 15th century). Notable features of the interior are the magnificent organ (1776) and the pulpit.
Hannemahuis Museum, in one of Harlingen's many gabled houses, has a collection of valuable old silver and porcelain, pictures, tiles, old town plans and interesting ship models.
Hours:
10am-5pm; Closed: Sun, Mon
Tips: Check dates. First date is for the main season and the second date is for off-season.
Around the Town Hall are other handsome patrician houses of the Late Gothic period, the Renaissance and the 17th-19th centuries, bearing witness to the town's one-time prosperity.
On the Westerzeedijk, to the south of the town center, is the "Steenen Man" (Stone Man), a monument erected in 1774 in honor of the Spanish stadholder Caspar de Robles, who had the dikes rebuilt after a violent storm tide in 1570.
The Town Hall (Raadhuis) was built in 1736 by Hendrik Norel. The Council Chamber is particularly fine. The tower, with a figure of the Archangel Michael, the town's patron saint, is a reminder of Harlingen's former importance as a port. The Town Hall was completely restored in 1956.
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