Oudebildtzijl

Oudebildtzijl (Dutch: [ˌʌudəbɪltˈsɛil]; Bildts: Ouwe-Syl; West Frisian: Aldebiltsyl) is a village in Waadhoeke municipality in the province of Friesland, the Netherlands. It had a population of around 690 in January 2017.^[3]

Oudebildtzijl Ouwe-Syl
Village
Juliana church
Flag Coat of arms
Location in het Bildt municipality
Oudebildtzijl Location in the Netherlands Show map of Friesland Oudebildtzijl Oudebildtzijl (Netherlands) Show map of Netherlands
Coordinates: 53°18′4″N 5°43′6″E
Country	Netherlands
Province	Friesland
Municipality	Waadhoeke
Area [1]
• Total	16.29 km2 (6.29 sq mi)
Elevation [2]	1.3 m (4.3 ft)
Population  (2021)[1]
• Total	950
• Density	58/km2 (150/sq mi)
Postal code	9078[1]
Dialing code	0518

It is the starting point from which the Oude Bildtdijk was created. Until 2018, the village was part of the het Bildt municipality.^[4]

History

The village was first mentioned after 1570 as niuwe zijl, and means "sluice in the old Bildt. It refers to a sluice from 1505. In 1600, the Nieuwe Bildtdijk was constructed and oude (old) was added to distinguish from Nieuwebildtzijl [nl].^[5] In 1504, a deal was struck between George, Duke of Saxony and four noblemen from Holland to polder the Middelzee. In 1505, a dike (Oude Bildtdijk) was constructed.^[6] The sluice was renewed in 1906.^[7]

In 1806, a Mennonite Church was built in Oudebildtzijl. In 1909, the church was enlarged and a clergy house with tower was added to the front. The Juliana tower is in neoclassic style with an open pavilion.^[7] The church was decommissioned in 1997, and nowadays serves as visitor centre for the nature area Aerden Plaats.^[4]

Oudebildtzijl was home to 604 people in 1840.^[4] In 1948, it became a village.^[8]

Notable people

• Gerrit Keizer [fy] (1874-1946), freak show artist, singer and acrobat, because of his height of 80 cm. Performed around the world.^[9]

Gallery

• 
  Street view
• 
  Farm in Oudebildtzijl
• 
  Canal view
• 
  Statue of Gerrit Keizer [fy]