Vlieland Facts for Kids

Quick facts for kids

Vlieland

Municipality

Ferry wharf

lighthouse

Emergency shelter for shipwreck victims

Flag	Coat of arms

Location in Friesland

Government

• Body

Municipal council

Area

• Total

315.80 km² (121.93 sq mi)

• Land

36.13 km² (13.95 sq mi)

• Water

279.67 km² (107.98 sq mi)

Elevation

3 m (10 ft)

Population

(May 2014)

• Total

1,113

• Density

31/km² (80/sq mi)

Demonym(s)

Vlielander

Time zone

UTC+1 (CET)

• Summer (DST)

UTC+2 (CEST)

Postcode

8899

Area code

0562

Ramsar Wetland

Official name: Duinen Vlieland

Designated:

29 August 2000

Reference #:

2216

Map of the island of Vlieland, December 2014

Vlieland is a small island and a municipality in the northern Netherlands. It is one of the least populated municipalities in the Netherlands.

Vlieland is part of the West Frisian Islands, which are a chain of islands in the Wadden Sea. It is the second island from the west in this chain, located between the islands of Texel and Terschelling. The island became permanently separated from the mainland in 1287 due to a big storm called St. Lucia's flood. Vlieland got its name from the Vlie, which was a waterway between Vlieland and Terschelling. This waterway used to be the mouth of the IJssel river a long time ago. There is also a sandbank called Richel about 1 kilometer east of Vlieland. It is always dry and is managed by the municipality of Vlieland.

History of Vlieland
Geography of Vlieland
- How to Get Around Vlieland
- Climate on Vlieland
Economy and Tourism on Vlieland
Famous People from Vlieland
Gallery
See also

History of Vlieland

The northern part of the island of Texel, called Eierland, was once connected to the southwestern part of Vlieland. However, a strong storm in 1296 likely separated Eierland from Vlieland. Over time, the western side of Vlieland also started to wear away due to erosion.

Lost Villages of Vlieland

Because of this erosion, a second village on Vlieland, called West-Vlieland, disappeared into the sea in 1736. People had tried for many years to rebuild the village after several floods, but it was eventually lost. Today, there is only one village left on the island, which is called Oost-Vlieland.

Vlieland During World War II

During the Second World War, Vlieland became part of the German Atlantic Wall. This was a huge line of defenses built by Germany along the coast. The German forces stationed more soldiers on the island than there were local people living there. They also built two anti-aircraft batteries to defend against planes. In 1942, Vlieland and Terschelling were moved from the province of North Holland to Friesland. This change stayed even after the war ended.

The Vlieland Dialect

Because of its history, the people originally from Vlieland did not speak Frisian, which is the language spoken in Friesland. Their original language, called Vlielands, was similar to the language spoken on Texel and other Dutch dialects in North Holland. The last person who spoke Vlielands as their native language was Petronella de Boer-Zeylemaker. She passed away in 1993 when she was 107 years old.

Geography of Vlieland

Most of Vlieland's landscape is made up of sand dunes. However, there are also some areas with trees and small grassy fields. A large part of the island, especially the western side, is mostly sand. As mentioned, there is only one village on the island, Oost-Vlieland.

How to Get Around Vlieland

You can reach Vlieland by taking a ferry from the town of Harlingen on the mainland. The ferry ride takes about 45 minutes to 1.5 hours. Tourists are not allowed to bring their cars on the ferry.

Once on the island, the most popular way to get around is by bicycle. There are many bike paths all over the island. A bus service also runs from the ferry terminal to the village and campsites. This bus usually runs when a ferry arrives or before one departs. There is a very small heliport near the village, but it is only used for SAR (Search and Rescue) flights.

Vlieland. Satellite view

Climate on Vlieland

Vlieland is the outermost of the Frisian islands, which means its weather is greatly affected by the North Sea and the Wadden Sea. Like the other West Frisian islands, Vlieland gets a lot of sunshine, more than most places in the Netherlands.

Extreme temperatures are rare here. On average, the temperature goes above 25 degrees Celsius only about 6 times a year. Temperatures above 30 degrees Celsius happen only once every three years. It also rarely gets extremely cold. The temperature stays below zero for a whole day only about five days a year. Freezing temperatures at night happen less than 40 nights a year, and temperatures below -10 Celsius happen only about once every two years.

However, Vlieland is a very windy place. The average wind speed is almost 8 meters per second (28 kilometers per hour). Strong winds, known as gale-force winds, happen about nine days each year.

Climate data for Vlieland (10m amsl)
Month	Jan	Feb	Mar	Apr	May	Jun	Jul	Aug	Sep	Oct	Nov	Dec	Year
Mean daily maximum °C (°F)	5.5 (41.9)	5.3 (41.5)	7.4 (45.3)	11.1 (52.0)	14.7 (58.5)	17.2 (63.0)	19.8 (67.6)	20.4 (68.7)	17.7 (63.9)	14.1 (57.4)	10.0 (50.0)	6.7 (44.1)	12.3 (54.1)
Daily mean °C (°F)	3.7 (38.7)	3.5 (38.3)	5.2 (41.4)	8.1 (46.6)	11.5 (52.7)	14.3 (57.7)	16.8 (62.2)	17.5 (63.5)	15.1 (59.2)	11.5 (52.7)	7.7 (45.9)	4.8 (40.6)	10.2 (50.4)
Mean daily minimum °C (°F)	1.8 (35.2)	1.6 (34.9)	3.1 (37.6)	5.0 (41.0)	8.4 (47.1)	11.3 (52.3)	13.7 (56.7)	14.6 (58.3)	12.4 (54.3)	9.0 (48.2)	5.3 (41.5)	2.5 (36.5)	7.6 (45.7)
Average precipitation mm (inches)	72 (2.8)	49 (1.9)	55 (2.2)	32 (1.3)	45 (1.8)	50 (2.0)	68 (2.7)	72 (2.8)	89 (3.5)	105 (4.1)	98 (3.9)	82 (3.2)	919 (36.2)
Average precipitation days	12	10	11	7	8	9	10	11	13	14	16	15	135
Average relative humidity (%)	86	83	80	73	72	73	74	73	75	79	83	86	78
Mean monthly sunshine hours	68	99	142	204	247	228	239	213	156	118	70	61	1,835

Economy and Tourism on Vlieland

Tourism is the most important way people make money on Vlieland. There are about 15 hotels, and hundreds of apartments and holiday homes for visitors. Vlieland also has two campsites where people can stay.

The island hosts two music festivals:

'Here Comes The Summer' is held in late April.
'Into The Great Wide Open' takes place in late August.

Famous People from Vlieland

Willem de Vlamingh (1640 in Oost-Vlieland – 1698) was a Dutch sea captain. He explored the coast of Australia, which was then called New Holland.
Nicolaas Kruik (1678 in West-Vlieland – 1754) was a Dutch land surveyor, mapmaker, astronomer, and weatherman. He is remembered for the Museum De Cruquius.