Blije

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Key facts

instance ofcadastral populated place in the Netherlands, village, municipality of the Netherlands

countryNetherlands

located in the administrative territorial entityNoardeast-Fryslân

All data from the card 11

Country: Netherlands
Province: Friesland
Municipality: Noardeast-Fryslân
• Total: 12.50 km2 (4.83 sq mi)
Elevation: 0.9 m (3.0 ft)
• Total: 840
• Density: 67/km2 (170/sq mi)
Time zone: UTC+1 (CET)
• Summer (DST): UTC+2 (CEST)
Postal code: 9171
Dialing code: 0519

Blije (Dutch: Blija) is a village in Noardeast-Fryslân in the province of Friesland, the Netherlands. It had a population of around 860 in January 2017. Before 2019, the village was part of the Ferwerderadiel municipality.

History

The village was first mentioned in the 13th century as Blitha. The etymology is unclear. Blije is a terp (artificial living mound) village which developed several centuries before Christ. The Dutch Reformed church dates from the 13th century and received its current shape in 1741.

In 1840, Blije was home to 911 people. Most of the terp except for the graveyard was excavated during the late-19th century. During the 20th century, retail disappeared from the village, and only the pub remained.