Article · Wikipedia archive · Last revised Jun 19, 2026

Opeinde

Opeinde is a village in the Dutch province of Friesland. It is a part of the municipality of Smallingerland, and lies about 5 km north of Drachten.

Last revised
Jun 19, 2026
Read time
≈ 2 min
Length
380 w
Citations
11
Source
Wikipedia ↗
Opeinde
De Pein
Village
Opeinde church
Opeinde church
Flag of Opeinde
Flag
Coat of arms of Opeinde
Coat of arms
Location in Smallingerland municipality
Location in Smallingerland municipality
Opeinde
Location in the Netherlands
Show map of Friesland
Opeinde
Opeinde (Netherlands)
Show map of Netherlands
CountryNetherlands Netherlands
ProvinceFriesland Friesland
MunicipalitySmallingerland Smallingerland
Area
1
 • Total
9.25 km2 (3.57 sq mi)
Elevation
2
2.0 m (6.6 ft)
Population
 (2021)1
 • Total
1,745
 • Density189/km2 (489/sq mi)
Time zoneUTC+1 (CET)
 • Summer (DST)UTC+2 (CEST)
Postal code
92181
Dialing code0512

Opeinde (West Frisian: De Pein) is a village in the Dutch province of Friesland. It is a part of the municipality of Smallingerland, and lies about 5 km north of Drachten.

It had a population of around 1,656 in January 2017.3

History

The village was first mentioned in 1439 as "Wp an endde", and means "upper end". Smallinger- was often added to distinguish from Opende.4 Opeinde began in the Middle Ages on a sandy ridge along the Kommisjewei. In 1883, the canal was widened and a village developed at the bridge. The Dutch Reformed church was built in 1908 as a replacement of a medieval church.5

Opeinde was home to 412 people in 1840.6

Intercultural Open University

In 1980, the Intercultural Open University opened in Opeinde. The self-appointed professor Jan Roelof Hakemulder started an information and documentation centre on African culture and philosophy. In 2005, the university received national media attention when Mark Rutte announced that the ministry intended to prosecute the university for issuing fake degrees, and advertising worldwide as "one of the leading universities". Hakemulder died in 2008 and the Opeinde branch closed down,76 however there are still offices in the United States and Spain.6 See also the insightful article "De Universiteit van Opeinde" by Rob Nanninga in Skepter, nr. 1, 2007.

  • Bridge in Opeinde
    Bridge in Opeinde
  • Canal view
    Canal view
  • Farm of Opeinde
    Farm of Opeinde
  • Bell tower of Opeinde
    Bell tower of Opeinde
References

References

  1. "Kerncijfers wijken en buurten 2021". Central Bureau of Statistics. Retrieved 3 April 2022.
  2. "Postcodetool for 9218PA". Actueel Hoogtebestand Nederland (in Dutch). Het Waterschapshuis. Archived from the original on 21 September 2013. Retrieved 3 April 2022.
  3. Bevolkingscijfers Archived 2017-11-07 at the Wayback Machine - Smallingerland
  4. "Opeinde - (geografische naam)". Etymologiebank (in Dutch). Retrieved 3 April 2022.
  5. Ronald Stenvert & Sabine Broekhoven (2000). "Opeinde" (in Dutch). Zwolle: Waanders. ISBN 90 400 9476 4. Retrieved 3 April 2022.
  6. "Opeinde". Plaatsengids (in Dutch). Retrieved 3 April 2022.
  7. "Professor op de Legauke". Opeinder Courant (in Dutch). Retrieved 3 April 2022.
External links

Media related to Opeinde at Wikimedia Commons