Sneek facts for kids

Quick facts for kids

Sneek

Snits

City and former municipality

Waterpoort

Flag	Coat of arms

Sneek

Location in Friesland

Sneek

Location in Netherlands

Country

Area

• Total

34.04 km² (13.14 sq mi)

Elevation

0.8 m (2.6 ft)

Population

(2021)

• Total

34,485

• Density

1,013.07/km² (2,623.8/sq mi)

Postal code

8600-08

Dialing code

0515

Topographic map of Sneek, as of June 2014

Sneek from the air (2022)

Sneek on a map by Willem and Joan Blaeu in 1652

Waterpoort (2017)

Kleinzand Canal in Sneek (2006)

Tonnemafabriek (confectionery factory) (2008)

Sneek railway station (2007)

Houkesloot Aqueduct (2007)

Sneek (pronounced like "snake" but with a softer 's' sound) is a cool city in the Netherlands. It's located in the province of Friesland, southwest of Leeuwarden. Since 2011, Sneek has been part of the larger municipality of Súdwest-Fryslân.

Sneek is famous for its beautiful canals and the historic Waterpoort (Watergate), which is a symbol of the city. It's also a big hub for watersports. Every year, Sneek hosts the Sneekweek, which is the largest sailing event on inland waterways in Europe! Sneek is one of the "Eleven Cities of Friesland," known for a famous ice skating race. The city plays an important role in the southwestern part of Friesland.

History of Sneek

How Sneek Started

Sneek began around the 10th century. It was first called Chud. The city grew on a sandy area where a dike crossed an important waterway. This waterway was dug after an old sea arm, the Middelzee, filled up with mud. You can still see where the dike was by looking at street names like Hemdijk and Oosterdijk.

Becoming a City

Sneek officially became a city in 1456, gaining special city rights. This made it one of the eleven important Frisian cities. After this, Sneek became a busy trading center, and its trade grew a lot until about 1550. Around 1492, people started building a moat and a wall around the city. Sneek was the only walled city in Friesland back then. Today, you can still see parts of these old defenses, like the Waterpoort and the Bolwerk.

Sneek and Kurobe: A Friendship Across the World

Since 1970, Sneek has been a sister city with Kurobe, a city in Japan. This means they have a special friendship! The mayors of both cities have visited each other over the years. In 2000, a "Sneekplein" (Sneek Square) was even built in Kurobe to celebrate their connection.

The Snekers Language

Sneek has its own special way of speaking called Snekers. This dialect comes from the Dutch language spoken before the 1600s. Snekers is part of a group of dialects known as Stadsfries dialects.

What Sneek is Known For

Businesses and Factories

Many well-known companies started or have factories in Sneek.

The clothing store C&A opened its first store here in 1841.
The Leaf Candy factory makes peppermint called KING [nl]. The name "KING" means "Quality equaled by nothing" in Dutch. They also make chewing gum like Sportlife.
Sneek also has factories that make steel, machinery, and ropes.
Since 1964, a factory for Yoshida YKK, a company from Kurobe, Japan, has been in Sneek.
Other famous products from Sneek include the supermarket chain Poiesz, the clothing brand Gaastra, and a Frisian gin called beerenburg from Weduwe Joustra.

Fun Places to Visit

Sneek is a great place for watersports, with over 130 companies and 13 Marinas. It also has a beautiful old city center with many historic houses.

Waterpoort (1613): This is the famous Watergate, a must-see!
Sneek Town Hall (1550): A historic building where city decisions are made.
Grote of Martinikerk (1498): A large Protestant church with 50 bells that play tunes.
St. Martin's Church (1872): A Catholic church with beautiful architecture.
Tonnema Candy Factory (1955): An interesting building where sweets are made.
Dúvelsrak and Krúsrak: These are cool wooden bridges over the A7 motorway.

Getting Around Sneek

Roads and Public Transport

Sneek is connected to other places by the A7 motorway and the N354 road. For public transport, Arriva operates both buses and trains in the city.

Waterways

Sneek is also connected by four main waterways, which are like water highways:

Houkesloot: Leads to the Prinses Margrietkanaal.
River de Geeuw: Connects to IJlst.
de Zwette: Leads to Leeuwarden.
Franekervaart: Connects to Franeker.

Arts and Culture in Sneek

Museums to Explore

Fries Scheepvaart Museum: This is the Frisian Maritime Museum, where you can learn about ships and the sea.
Nationaal Modelspoor Museum: The National Model Train Museum, perfect for train lovers!

Music and Performance Venues

Het Bolwerk: This was the very first poppodium (music venue) in Friesland, opening in 1975. It's a member of the Fries Popnet.

Cultural Quarter Plans

In 2010, there were plans to create a "Cultural Quarter" in Sneek. This project aimed to connect different cultural areas into one big hub. The plans included turning the Noorderchurch into a theater and arts center, and building a new theater.

The Silver Ball Award

Sneek has a special award called "The Silver Ball." It's given every year to someone who has done great things for music and culture in Sneek. Past winners include:

Henk van der Veer, a writer.
2005: Maaike Schuurmans, a musical actress.
2006: Yede van Dijk, an actor.
2007: Bennie Hoogstra, who played in the Drum- & Showkorps Advendo for 25 years.

Exciting Events

Sneekweek: The famous sailing event on the Sneekermeer lake.
Swinging Sneek: Live music fills the cafés and streets of Sneek.

Education in Sneek

Sneek has many schools for kids of all ages. There are eleven primary schools and three high schools in the city.

Sports in Sneek

Sports Centers

Sneek has several places where you can play sports:

Sportcentrum Schuttersveld
Sportpark Noorderhoek
Sportpark SWZ Sneek
Sportpark Leeuwarderweg
Swimming pool It Rak
Zuidersportpark

Sports Clubs

There are many sports clubs in Sneek for different interests:

Sneek Wit Zwart(SWZ): A football (soccer) club.
LSC 1890: One of the oldest football clubs in the Netherlands.
ONS Sneek: Another football club.
Black Boys: A football club.
Waterpoort boys: A football club.
Sneeker MHC: A hockey club.
VC Sneek: A volleyball club.
Neptunia'24: A water polo club.
L.T.C. NOMI: A tennis club.
White Cats Sneek: A baseball and softball club.
FC Gescheurde Knieband: A football club.

Sporting Events

Sneek is also part of some very famous sporting events:

Elfstedentocht: A legendary eleven-city ice skating race and tour.
Fietselfstedentocht: An eleven-city cycling tour.

Famous People from Sneek

Many interesting people have come from Sneek, including:

Kees Deenik and Phia Berghout in 1951

Pier Gerlofs Donia (around 1480–1520): A Frisian freedom fighter and pirate, also known as 'Grutte Pier'.
Willem de Sitter (1872–1934): A famous mathematician, physicist, and astronomer.
Pieter Sjoerds Gerbrandy (1885–1961): A politician.
Kees Deenik (1915–1993): A singer and TV producer.
Joke Tjalsma (1957): An actress.
Jan Posthuma (1963): An international volleyball player.
Ronald Zoodsma (1966): Another international volleyball player.
Monique Sluyter (1967): A model and television star.
Sherida Spitse (1990): A soccer player.
Nyck de Vries (1995): A racing driver.

Life in Sneek

Sneek has about 14,000 houses, with half of them being available for rent. New housing projects are always being built in different neighborhoods.

The city center is great for walking and biking. You can find cool clothing stores, restaurants, bars, music shops, cafes, and even an old-fashioned candy store!