West Frisia was the heartland of the Frisian people, and they fought for centuries to retain their freedom and independence. Protected by deep marshlands and ocean tides, the Frisians built a remarkably egalitarian society until the Empire finally overcame its defenses in the 16th century. Nevertheless, a culture of independence and ingenuity helped to push the ocean back and settle a fertile land with beautiful cities and towns.
West Frisia is a hidden gem that is waiting to be explored. The landscape is characterized by a nearly perfectly flat plain filled with fertile fields, small coastal forests, and endless beaches of sun-touched sand. Beautiful villages and towns dot the landscape, full of windmills and picturesque farms. You won’t find many castles or palaces, though, a legacy of Frisia’s egalitarian past. Instead, you will have to explore the region’s history through the lens of the people that lived and worked the land.
West Frisia today is split into two different administrative regions of the Netherlands, Friesland and Groningen. While historically, both were part of Frisia, these regions had different political trajectories leading to separate states. A major difference between Western Frisia and its Eastern Counterpart was that the Western region was more accessible to invading armies. Western Frisia was already subjugated to the Frankish Kingdoms by the early Middle Ages, whereas Eastern Frisia would nominally resist Imperial authority until the 15th century.
That being said, the marshlands and moors along the coast prevented effective administration from afar, and the Frisians were largely left to themselves. The County of Holland fought long wars with the Frisian states to assert their authority in the region and was largely defeated by the region’s geography. Only with the expansion of the polders and the draining of the marshes was the region subjugated by Imperial troops in the 16th century.
In contrast, Groningen was controlled by the Bishops in Utrecht and was the first significant settlement in the region. Again though, the terrain of Frisia meant that the city could enjoy a large degree of autonomy, and Groningen, with its surrounding territories, asserted its own identity in the region.
