Fryske Akademy

The Fryske Akademy, founded in 1938, is the scientific centre for research and education concerning Friesland (Fryslân in West Frisian) and its people, language and culture, this in its broadest sense. The institution is based in the Coulonhûs and adjacent buildings in Leeuwarden. Together with several other institutes it belongs to the Royal Netherlands Academy of Arts and Sciences (KNAW). It has about 60 employees. In addition, some 300 scientists, amateurs and professionals, are active in the scientific societies hosted by the Fryske Akademy.

Activities

Although the academy's mission includes a wide scope of Friesland-related topics, a great deal of its work focuses particularly on the West Frisian language. It has also done a great deal to regulate the language. The Fryske Akademy publishes the Wurdboek fan de Fryske taal (Dictionary of the (West) Frisian Language), which serves as the language's principal authority.

It also does a good deal of research regarding the language, history, and culture of the Frisian people. Since its inception, it has published almost 1,000 scientific books, thousands of articles, and a large number of reports on these subjects. A few larger projects include:

• the authoritative dictionary of the Frisian language, in 25 volumes;
• a Frisian-English dictionary;
• the Historical Geographical Information System (HISGIS), in which historical registers of real property have been linked to other information like parish registers;
• the Mercator......
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