Burgum

Burgum is the largest and administrative town of the municipality of Tytsjerksteradiel, in the Dutch province of Friesland. It had a population of 10,058 inhabitants in January 2017.Since January 1, 1989 the West Frisian name Burgum is the official name, before 1989 the Dutch name was the official one.

The name Burgum is suggestive of an area of higher altitude than the surrounding area. The province of Friesland is bordered in the north by the Wadden Sea. In ancient and medieval times, habitation in Friesland occurred only in those areas which were elevated above sea level or on artificially built mounds known as terp, weird or ward. These mounds were areas of refuge in times of flooding. The artificial mounds became redundant after the building of the dykes on the border of the Wadden Sea. Habitation of this area goes back to the Stone Age.