Quick Tip – West-Friesland is not in Friesland

In the early Middle Ages, the whole area between the Zwin and Weser rivers was called Frisia/Friesland. The current province of Friesland in the Netherlands is in the middle of that region, but the former area of Frisia was much larger.

To this day, part of the province of Noord-Holland is known as “West-Friesland” [West Frisia] and part of northern Germany is known as “Ostfriesland” [East Frisia]. So West-Friesland is in the province of Noord-Holland, not in the province of Friesland.

map o

Frisia around the year 700. Credits: Richard Prins, Wikimedia (CC-BY-SA)

About Yvette Hoitink

Yvette Hoitink, CG®, QG™ is a professional genealogist in the Netherlands. She holds the Certified Genealogist credential from the Board for Certification of Genealogists and has a post-graduate diploma in Family and Local History from the University of Dundee. She has been doing genealogy for over 30 years and helps people from across the world find their ancestors in the Netherlands. Read about Yvette's professional genealogy services.

Leave comment

*