Joure is a town in the Dutch province of Friesland

Friesland

Friesland is a province in the north of the Netherlands and part of the ancient region of Frisia.Until the end of 1996, the province bore Friesland as its official name. In 1997 this Dutch name lost its official status to the Frisian Fryslân...

. With 13,000 inhabitants, it is the largest town in the municipality of Skarsterlân

Skarsterlân

Skarsterlân is a municipality in the province of Friesland in the Netherlands. The municipality was created January 1, 1984 by merging the municipalities of Doniawerstal and Haskerland, the part of Utingeradeel consisting of the villages Akmarijp and Terkaple and the village Nieuwebrug that used...

.

History

Joure used to be an outskirt of a village called Westermeer, but soon grew bigger than the original town.The main reason was Joure's easy accessibility to waterways which allowed national and international trade to flourish. Around 1950, the name "Westermeer" was erased from the map, and annexed by Joure. Until the early 1950s Joure remained a small-scale village, consisting of few streets and waterways. From then on it started expanding , mainly due to industrial development.

The town has been renowned since the 18th century for the manufacture of traditional Frisian clocks ('stoelklokken' and 'staartklokken').This was pure home-industry aided by the presence of a local copper-melting facility . As of today, a handful of skilled tradesmen continue to manufacture these clocks. In 1753 Egbert Douwes founded a company selling colonial goods in Joure.Starting in a small store , this venture really began to evolve as an industrial giant during the 1930-1950's. Family heirs renamed the company to Douwe Egberts

Douwe Egberts

Douwe Egberts is a Dutch corporation that processes and trades coffee, tea, and other groceries. Its full name is Douwe Egberts Koninklijke Tabaksfabriek-Koffiebranderijen-Theehandel NV, which translates as "Douwe Egberts Royal Tobacco Factory - Coffee Roasters - Tea Traders, Plc."...

 and made it a world imperium, mainly focusing on coffee, tea and tobacco. As of today many people in this town still have jobs at or related to DE, even though its headquarters moved to the city of Utrecht decades ago. Further typical industries that helped Joure grow are those related to the furniture and graphic sectors.

Tourism has always been important and Joure offers a wide variety of uniquely typical Frisian attractions of historical, cultural and recreational significance. Its central location as well its sound transportation system make a visit to "De Flecke" easy and memorable.

Windmills

There are two restored windmill

Windmill

A windmill is a machine which converts the energy of wind into rotational energy by means of vanes called sails or blades. Originally windmills were developed for milling grain for food production. In the course of history the windmill was adapted to many other industrial uses. An important...

s in Joure, De Groene Molen

De Groene Molen, Joure

De Groene Molen is a hollow post mill in Joure, Friesland, Netherlands which was built c1800. The mill has been restored so that it can turn by wind. It is listed as a Rijksmonument, number 18208.-History:...

 and Penninga's Molen

Penninga's Molen, Joure

Penninga's Molen or De Jonge Wester is a smock mill in Joure, Friesland, Netherlands which was built in 1900 and is working for trade. It is also used as a training mill. The mill is listed as a Rijksmonument, number 20842.-History:...

. The base of a third mill, Wielinga-stam also survives.

Twin towns — Sister cities

Joure is twinned

Town twinning

Twin towns and sister cities are two of many terms used to describe the cooperative agreements between towns, cities, and even counties in geographically and politically distinct areas to promote cultural and commercial ties.- Terminology :...

 with: Drolshagen

Drolshagen

Drolshagen is a town belonging to the district of Olpe in the Regierungsbezirk of Arnsberg in North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany, lying roughly 5 km west of Olpe.- Location :...

, Germany

Germany

Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...

 Mediaş

Medias

Mediaș is the second largest city in Sibiu County, Transylvania, Romania.-Geographic location:Mediaș is located in the middle basin of Târnava Mare River, at 39 km from Sighișoara and 41 km from Blaj. The health resort Bazna, officially recognized for the first time in 1302, is...

, Romania

Romania

Romania is a country located at the crossroads of Central and Southeastern Europe, on the Lower Danube, within and outside the Carpathian arch, bordering on the Black Sea...