Where to find us

The Netherlands (or ‘Holland’) is situated on the coast of the North Sea, with Great Britain as its neighbour in the west and Germany in the east. It is relatively small; the surface area is 41,528 square kilometres. The greatest distance from north to south is 300 kilometres, and from east to west 200 kilometres. The Netherlands is one of the most densely populated countries in the world, with a population of sixteen and a half million and an average of over 400 inhabitants per square kilometer.

Friesland
The Province of Friesland (or Fryslân in Frisian) is situated in the north-west of The Netherlands, and includes within its boundaries four islands along the North Sea coast. Friesland has 600,000 inhabitants. The region, originally known best as an area for cattle farming, dairy farming and dairy processing, has many businesses related to this industry but also has many other small and medium sized firms in every possible industrial sector, as well as a well developed services sector. (Multi) national companies are located in Leeuwarden, Heerenveen and Drachten. With its numerous lakes and interesting old towns, the province of Friesland has a lot to attract visitors from all over the world making tourism an important factor in the Frisian economy.

Friesland has many canals, small rivers and picturesque lakes, which makes it a paradise for water sports fanatics. A special treat and unique to The Netherlands is mud walking on the mudflats between the mainland and the islands.
The Frisians even have their own language, which dates back to the 8th century and is still spoken by a sizable part of the population. Dutch is the national language of The Netherlands. Frisian is the official language in Fryslan, however, English is spoken by almost everyone. In addition, many Dutch people speak German.

Leeuwarden
Leeuwarden is the capital city of Friesland. Its compact, historic city centre boasts royal palace, canals and interesting boutiques. Well-known buildings in the city centre include the leaning 16th century Oldehove tower (great view from the top!) and the modern eye-catching Achmea tower (owned by Achmea insurance), which is the tallest building in the city. The largest cattle market and the largest flower market in The Netherlands are held annually in Leeuwarden.
The infamous spy, Mata Hari was born and grew up here, as did the renowned artist M.C. Escher. Leeuwarden is also a centre for trade and industry, has a varied nightlife and beautiful museums. It is a lively town with over 23,000 students and many opportunities to meet other students, including restaurants, pubs, nightclubs, pool halls and sports clubs.

How do you get there?

Leeuwarden has good rail links with the rest of the country. Amsterdam International Airport Schiphol is only 2 ½ hours away. By car it is only 90 minutes because you can drive across the ‘Afsluitdijk’, a famous dyke between the internal IJsselmeer (IJssel Lake) and the Waddenzee (Wadden Sea).