Oosternijkerk

Oosternijkerk ( Frisian: Easternijtsjerk or simply Nijtsjerk ) is a village in the municipality Dongeradeel in the Dutch province of Friesland. It has 940 inhabitants (2008 ) and is one of the larger villages in Dongeradeel.

To avoid confusion with the hamlet of Nijkerk in Ferwerderadiel, the village was named in Nijkerk Dongeradeel Oosternijkerk and the eponymous hamlet in Ferwerderadiel Westernijkerk.

History

Oosternijkerk was unlike most villages Dongeradeels not built on a mound, but was founded as a village street in the 11th century, after the levees were created in this area. The embankments were largely taken from monasteries because they possessed in this area over large land holdings. The Premonstratensian possessed the largest land holdings.