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Bustling Town
Balk is the bustling centre of the municipality of Gaasterlân-Sleat, with numerous shops, cafés, restaurants, service providers, car companies, water sports companies and naturally a municipal office, located next to the four-hundred-year-old town hall, a small, charming monument that is famous even in Japan, where it has been duplicated for an amusement park.
Navigable for smaller boats, the River Luts traverses Balk, giving the centre the appearance of being a “canal city”. The majority of shops, cafés and restaurants are located along the river. The combination of shoppers, café patrons and passing boats is what makes Balk so attractive and inviting during the summer. The River Luts forms part of the waterway connection for pleasure boats sailing between the Fluessen lake(Galamadammen) and the Slotermeer lake by way of the Gaasterland woods.
Former Trading Centre
Balk owes its name to a simple bridge that crosses the Luts: the Wyckelre Balck. Because it is located at the junction of roads and waterways, the village developed into a major merchant settlement back in the 15th century. The town grew quickly in the 18th century, mostly due to the butter trade. During the weekly market (Friday afternoons), visitors can get a feel of how it was back in the town’s heyday. Balk’s development into a trading and administrative centre was threatened several times, however, by the many disputes that took place in Friesland. In 1486, for example, it was totally reduced to ashes and, in the 16th century, plundered on several occasions.
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Historic Buildings
Balk boasts a large number of historic buildings, including the town hall, built in 1614 and renovated in 1973 and 2002, with its expressive stepped gable and attractive wall-ties. Commanding lions guard its steps. The openwork tower dates back to 1793. The uniqueness of the building is clear from the fact that a complete copy was made in 1986 for Holland Village near the city of Nagasaki in Japan. Those with an eye for details will enjoy the large number of historic façades along the Luts, with their stepped and neck gables and unusual facing bricks, decorative wall-ties, angel heads and carved transom windows.
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Historic Buildings
Balk boasts a large number of historic buildings, including the town hall, built in 1614 and renovated in 1973 and 2002, with its expressive stepped gable and attractive wall-ties. Commanding lions guard its steps. The openwork tower dates back to 1793. The uniqueness of the building is clear from the fact that a complete copy was made in 1986 for Holland Village near the city of Nagasaki in Japan. Those with an eye for details will enjoy the large number of historic façades along the Luts, with their stepped and neck gables and unusual facing bricks, decorative wall-ties, angel heads and carved transom windows.
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Balk boasts a large number of historic buildings, including the town hall, built in 1614 and renovated in 1973 and 2002, with its expressive stepped gable and attractive wall-ties. Commanding lions guard its steps. The openwork tower dates back to 1793. The uniqueness of the building is clear from the fact that a complete copy was made in 1986 for Holland Village near the city of Nagasaki in Japan. Those with an eye for details will enjoy the large number of historic
façades along the Luts, with their stepped and neck gables and unusual facing bricks, decorative wall-ties, angel heads and carved transom windows.
Varied Landscapes
The area surrounding Balk is full of pastures and woods, as well as numerous footpaths, bicycle tracks and bridle paths. Riding stables are located nearby. It is also possible to swim and windsurf from the nearby beach on the Slotermeer lake, into which the Luts empties. Water sports enthusiasts usually choose the blue waters of the Slotermeer in the direction of Woudsend, Sloten or Lemmer. The bicycle path along the banks of the Slotermeer, north of Balk, is highly recommended.
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