View source for Urk

{{Use dmy dates|date=November 2025}}
{{Infobox settlement
<!-- See Template:Infobox settlement for additional fields and descriptions -->
| name                    = Urk
| native_name             = {{native name|wep|Urrek}}
| native_name_lang        = wep
| settlement_type         = [[List of municipalities of the Netherlands|Municipality]]
| image_skyline           = Urk harbor.jpg
| image_alt               = 
| image_caption           = The quay of Urk
| image_flag              = Urker vlag met schelvis 25-12-2016.svg
| flag_size               = 100x67px
| flag_alt                = 
| image_shield            = Coat of arms of Urk.svg
| shield_size             = 100x80px
| shield_alt              = Map - NL - Municipality code 0184 (2009).svg
| image_map               = Map_-_NL_-_Municipality_code_0184_(2009).svg
| map_alt                 = Highlighted position of Urk in a municipal map of Flevoland
| map_caption             = Location in Urk municipality
| pushpin_map             = Netherlands Flevoland#Netherlands
| pushpin_label_position  = right
| pushpin_mapsize         = 250
| pushpin_map_caption     = Location in the Netherlands
| coordinates             = {{coord|52|39|47|N|5|35|55|E|region:NL_type:city|display=inline,title}}
| coordinates_footnotes   = 
| subdivision_type        = [[List of sovereign states|Country]]
| subdivision_name        = [[Netherlands]]
| subdivision_type1       = [[Provinces of the Netherlands|Province]]
| subdivision_name1       = [[Flevoland]]
| government_footnotes    = <ref name="mayor_now">{{cite web |url=http://www.urk.nl/index.php?fontsize=0&pagid=385&mediumid=1&simaction=content&rubriekid=&stukid=&lijsttypeid=1 |title=Samenstelling college B&W |trans-title=Members of the board of mayor and aldermen |language=nl |publisher=Gemeente Urk |access-date=1 September 2013 }}</ref>
| governing_body          = [[Municipal council (Netherlands)|Municipal council]]
| leader_party            = [[Christian Union (Netherlands)|CU]]
| leader_title            = [[Burgemeester|Mayor]]
| leader_name             = Bart Jaspers Faijer
| unit_pref               = Metric
| area_footnotes          = <ref>{{Dutch municipality total area|dataref }}</ref>
| area_total_km2          = {{Dutch municipality total area|Urk}}
| area_land_km2           = {{Dutch municipality land area|Urk}}
| area_water_km2          = {{Dutch municipality water area|Urk}}
| elevation_footnotes     = <ref name="AHN">{{cite web |url=http://www.ahn.nl/postcodetool |title=Postcodetool for 8321GT |language=nl |author=<!--Staff writer(s); no by-line.--> |work=Actueel Hoogtebestand Nederland |publisher=Het Waterschapshuis |access-date=3 September 2013 |archive-date=21 September 2013 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130921053543/http://www.ahn.nl/postcodetool |url-status=dead }}</ref>
| elevation_m             = 0
| elevation_max_footnotes = 
| elevation_max_m         = 
| elevation_min_footnotes = 
| elevation_min_m         = 
| population_footnotes    = <ref>{{Dutch municipality population|dataref }}</ref>
| population_total        = {{Dutch municipality population|Urk}}
| population_as_of        = {{MONTHNAME|{{Dutch municipality population|popbasemonth}}}} {{Dutch municipality population|popbaseyear}}
| population_density_km2  = {{Dutch municipality population density|Urk}}
| population_demonym      = Urker
| timezone1               = [[Central European Time|CET]]
| utc_offset1             = +1
| timezone1_DST           = [[Central European Summer Time|CEST]]
| utc_offset1_DST         = +2
| postal_code_type        = [[Postal codes in the Netherlands|Postcode]]
| postal_code             = 8320–8324
| area_code_type          = [[Telephone numbers in the Netherlands|Area code]]
| area_code               = 0527
| website                 = {{URL|1=http://www.urk.nl}}
}}
'''Urk''' ({{IPA|nl|ˈʏr(ə)k|lang|258 Urk.ogg}}; {{langx|wep|label=[[Urkers dialect|Urkers]]|Urrek}}; {{langx|nds-nl|Ürrek}}) is a [[Municipalities of the Netherlands|municipality]] and a [[town]] in the [[Flevoland]] province in the center-north of the [[Netherlands]] with a population of 22,173 as of 2025.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Statistiek |first=Centraal Bureau voor de |title=Inwoners per gemeente |url=https://www.cbs.nl/nl-nl/visualisaties/dashboard-bevolking/regionaal/inwoners |access-date=25 August 2025 |website=Centraal Bureau voor de Statistiek |language=nl-NL }}</ref> It is surrounded by the [[Noordoostpolder]] on land and is on the coast of the [[IJsselmeer]]. Urk was formerly an [[island]] in the Almere, an inland sea that would become part of the [[Zuiderzee]] in the 13th century after a series of incursions by the [[North Sea]]. The building of a [[levee|dike]] from [[Lemmer]] in 1939 ended Urk's status as an island and connected it to the Dutch mainland.

The mainstay of the town's formal economy has always been [[fishing]], with Urk having the largest fishing fleet in the Netherlands.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Presenting multifunctional fishing cutter Janneke, built on Urk｜2024｜News｜YANMAR |url=https://www.yanmar.com/eu/news/2024/10/31/143931.html |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20241211010224/https://www.yanmar.com/eu/news/2024/10/31/143931.html |archive-date=11 December 2024 |access-date=25 August 2025 |website=YANMAR |language=en }}</ref> The products of the sea coming in through Urk harbor continue to be exported widely, although today Urk's fishing boats must travel greater distances to gather them than was required in most historical periods. Urk's inhabitants are socially tight-knitted and maintain their own unique Dutch [[dialect]].<ref name=":0">{{Cite news |last=Boffey |first=Daniel |date=31 December 2017 |title='Urk has a problem': Dutch fishing town caught up in cocaine-smuggling trial |url=https://www.theguardian.com/world/2017/dec/31/dutch-fishing-town-embroiled-international-cocaine-smuggling-trial |access-date=25 August 2025 |work=The Guardian |language=en-GB |issn=0261-3077 }}</ref> Religious life has traditionally been very important to Urk's inhabitants, with active, conservative congregations of the Dutch [[Reformed churches|Reformed]] denominations playing key roles in the life of the community.<ref name=":0" />

==Geography==
{{unreferenced section|date=December 2017}}
Towards the north, the [[IJsselmeer]] is enclosed by an arc of [[boulder clay]] high areas of land which formed during an [[ice age]] glaciations of the [[Pleistocene]] epoch: [[Texel]], [[Wieringen]], Urk, de [[Voorst]], and [[Gaasterland]]. To the south of that arc a lake formed as a result of meltwater, which became known as [[Almere (lake)|Almere]]. North of the boulder clay highland of Urk, the [[Vechte|Vecht]] river flowed into the Almere, while the river [[IJssel]] with tributaries flowed into the south of Urk. As the climate became warmer during the Middle Ages, the sea level rose whilst the surrounding areas have been slowly steadily [[forebulge sinking|sinking because of forebulge effect]] since the end of the Ice Age. During the 13th century (and especially after a large storm in 1287) the [[Zuiderzee]] formed, and the water round Urk suddenly became a tidal sea. Because there was no sea defense, over time large pieces of the island eroded. The southwest side of Urk, which rose perpendicularly out of the sea, was called ''het Hoge Klif'' ("the High Cliff"). Around 1700 the [[Municipalities of the Netherlands|municipality]] of [[Amsterdam]] donated sea defenses to Urk. The town contains the highest point in the province of [[Flevoland]].

==History==
[[File:Map of URK (publ. 1853).jpg|thumbnail|Urk Island (1852)]]
[[File:NIMH - 2011 - 0511 - Aerial photograph of Urk, The Netherlands - 1920 - 1940.jpg|thumb|Aerial photograph of the former island Urk, before its integration in the [[Noordoostpolder]], 1920–1940. Nederlands Instituut voor Militaire Historie.]]
The oldest instance of the name "Urk" is a donation certificate of 966 from [[Holy Roman Emperor]] Otto I to the Sint Pantaleonsklooster [[monastery]] in [[Cologne]]. The text reads: ''cuiisdam insulae medietatem in Almere, que Urch vocatur'' ([[Latin]]: "of a certain island in the middle of [[Almere (lake)|Almere]], which is called Urch"). Until 1475 the High and Low Lordship of Urk and Emmeloord (the most northern village of [[Schokland]]) was in the hands of the Van Kuinre family. From 1475 to 1614, the [[Zoudenbalch]] family of [[Utrecht]] were Lords of Urk and Emmeloord. From 1614 to 1660, Urk and Emmeloord were ruled by the [[House of van de Werve|van der Werve]] from Antwerp. From 1660 to 1792 Urk and Emmeloord belonged to the [[Municipalities of the Netherlands|municipality]] of Amsterdam, and ruled from 1660 to 1672 by [[Andries de Graeff]]. From 1792 to 1950 Urk belonged to the province of [[North Holland]].<ref name=":1">{{Cite web |title=De 25 dingen die je moet weten over... Urk |url=https://www.omroepflevoland.nl/info/weetjesurk |access-date=25 August 2025 |website=www.omroepflevoland.nl |language=nl }}</ref>

Urk ceased to be an island in October 1939<ref>{{Cite web |title=Dyke closure hole monument Espel |url=https://www.visitflevoland.nl/en/locaties/20133204/dyke-closure-hole-monument-espel |access-date=25 August 2025 |website=www.visitflevoland.nl |language=en }}</ref> as part of the [[Zuiderzee Works]] (just as the [[Afsluitdijk]] project was changing the salt water Zuiderzee surrounding Urk to the less saline [[IJsselmeer]]), and Urk's town expanded into the reclaimed land of the [[polder]]. Many Urkers who previously left the town because of overcrowding before the polder reclamation was completed were able to return to Urk. Later, seabed areas surrounding Urk were [[Land reclamation|reclaimed]] from the sea to become the [[Noordoostpolder]]. In 1950, Urk's jurisdiction moved away from North Holland to become part of the province of [[Overijssel]].<ref name=":1" /> Since 1986, Urk has belonged to the province of [[Flevoland]].

The [[Noordoostpolder]] in its early years had an alternative name "Urker Land," from which Urk's newspaper, ''Het Urkerland'', gets its name.

==Economy==
The important economic pillar of the village remains fishery. After the IJsselmeer was formed, the Urkers moved their fishing operations to the [[North Sea]]. Additionally, Urk is focused on making a connection between the existing economy and new activities such as tourism, social care, maritime industry and services. The local council is keen to particularly promote tourism, retail and fisheries.[https://decentrale.regelgeving.overheid.nl/cvdr/XHTMLoutput/Actueel/Urk/CVDR266000.html] In the past, many lives were lost in storms on the Zuiderzee and North Sea. There is a memorial to lost fishermen on Urk, popularly known as the ''Urker vrouw'': a statue of a woman looking out to sea, vainly awaiting the return of her husband and sons.

==Transport==
The [[A6 motorway (Netherlands)|A6 motorway]] is a major road near Urk connecting it south to [[Flevopolder]] and north to [[Friesland]].

Urk has no railway station but the nearest stations are [[Kampen railway station|Kampen]], [[Dronten railway station|Dronten]] and [[Lelystad Centrum railway station|Lelystad]], each approximately {{convert|30|km|mi|abbr=off}} away. This makes Urk one of the most isolated places in the Netherlands as far as railway connections are concerned.

Regular passenger ferry services run during summer months across the IJsselmeer to [[Enkhuizen]].<ref>{{Cite web |title=Ferry Urk-Enkhuizen |url=https://www.visitenkhuizen.nl/en/locatie/ferry-urk-enkhuizen/ |access-date=25 August 2025 |website=Visit Enkhuizen |language=en-GB }}</ref>

==Demographics==
{{Pie chart
| thumb=right
| caption=Religions in Urk (2013)<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.cbs.nl/nl-nl/maatwerk/2014/40/kerkelijkheid-en-kerkbezoek-2010-2013 |publisher=Centraal Bureau voor de Statistiek |title=Kerkelijkheid en kerkbezoek, 2010/2013 |date=2 October 2014 }}</ref>
| label1=[[Protestantism]]
| value1=82.2
| color1=DodgerBlue
| label2=[[Catholic Church|Roman Catholic]]
| value2=1.7
| color2=DarkOrchid
| label3=Other Christian denomination
| value3=13.8
| color3=Turquoise
| label4=[[Irreligion]]
| value4=2.3
| color4=Black
}}
Year 2018

* Birth Rate: 20.3 per 1000
* Death Rate: 3.24 per 1000
* NGR: +1.90% per year.<ref>{{Cite web |title=CBS Statline |url=https://opendata.cbs.nl/statline/ |access-date=24 November 2020 |website=opendata.cbs.nl |language=nl }}</ref>

The [[birth rate]] of the municipality of Urk is the highest in the Netherlands as of 2016 (and highest in previous years). But like many other places in the Netherlands this number declined to 18.7% (down from 30.8% in 1988). In 1988 only [[Zeewolde]] had a slightly higher birth rate at 31.3%, but the birth rate Urk remained the second highest. The [[total fertility rate]] declined to 2.6 (down from 3.9 in 1988).

In 2021, 44 per cent of Urk's population was under the age of 25. This made Urk the demographically youngest municipality of the Netherlands. Number two in the country was [[Staphorst]], another Calvinist society nearby.<ref>{{Cite web |date=6 September 2022 |title=Urk is nog steeds jongste gemeente van Nederland |url=https://www.heturkerland.nl/nieuws/algemeen/43087/urk-is-nog-steeds-jongste-gemeente-van-nederland |access-date=25 August 2025 |website=www.heturkerland.nl |language=nl }}</ref>

==Politics==

===Local===
[[File:Gem-Urk-OpenTopo.jpg|270px|thumb|Dutch topographic map of the municipality of Urk, June 2015]]

The municipal council currently (2022) contains five political parties:
* [[Reformed Political Party|SGP]]: 6 seats
* [[ChristenUnie|Christian Union]]: 3 seats
* [[Christian Democratic Appeal|CDA]]: 3 seats
* Hart voor Urk: 3 seats
* Gemeentebelangen: 2 seats
* [[Party for Freedom|PVV]]: 1 seat
* Krachtig Urk: 1 seat
''Gemeentebelangen'', ''Hart voor Urk'' and ''Krachtig Urk'' are local parties. Hart voor Urk was founded by former SGP councillor Jan Koffeman with largely identical party policies to SGP's.

A majority coalition of ChristenUnie, SGP and Hart voor Urk are currently in power. The town council is led by (non-elected) mayor Cees van den Bos.

None of these parties can be described as either left-wing (socialist) or liberal. National parties, such as the [[VVD]] (conservative/liberal), [[Democrats 66|D66]] (liberal), [[GroenLinks]] (green party) and [[Labour Party (Netherlands)|PvdA]] (labour), are not represented in Urk's town council and support for these parties in national and regional elections remains minimal. However, due to slowly growing support for the VVD, an Urk affiliate of the conservative/liberal party was founded in early 2011 and entered the 2014 local elections. However, the VVD only drew 2.7% of the vote, insufficient for a seat.

===National===
Urk is one of the most politically conservative areas in the Netherlands. As part of the so-called Dutch "[[Bible Belt (Netherlands)|Bible belt]]", a vast majority of election votes go to the three Christian parties in the Netherlands, [[Reformed Political Party|SGP]], [[ChristenUnie]] and [[Christian Democratic Appeal|CDA]]. Urk is also known for its high turnout at each election, which is usually considerably higher than the national average (although general turnout percentages have dropped approx. 10% since 2002).
[[File:Koningin Juliana bezoekt Urk, Bestanddeelnr 921-3434.jpg|thumb|Queen [[Juliana of the Netherlands]] on a visit to Urk]]
Voting patterns used to be relatively stable, with approximately 85-90% of the votes spread out evenly over SGP, [[ChristenUnie]] and CDA (each between 25-35%). CDA in Urk usually got more votes in national elections than in local elections, while ChristenUnie's support is sometimes twice locally compared to what it receives from Urk voters in national elections (this is sometimes attributed to the apparent left-wing leanings of the ChristenUnie nationally, while ChristenUnie in Urk tends to be more conservative). SGP's support locally is not much different from its support in national elections. In the last elections, the support for CDA and CU dwindled. The short-lived christian democratic party [[New Social Contract]] won 6% in 2023.

However, in recent years a few changes in voting patterns occurred, such as a growing support for national protest parties such as the [[Pim Fortuyn List|LPF]] or [[Geert Wilders]]' [[Party for Freedom|PVV]] Freedom Party. Also, voting patterns these days tend to show bigger swings, as shown in 2010's and 2012's national elections in which CDA lost 11% and 13% respectively, and in 2011's regional elections, in which ChristenUnie lost 18%. In 2012, orthodox-Christian [[Reformed Political Party|SGP]] even registered an absolute majority with 51.2% of the vote. (In the European Elections of 2014, the combined ChristenUnie/SGP list even registered 78% of the vote).

Support for established left wing parties, such as the [[Labour Party (Netherlands)|Labour Party]] or the [[Socialist Party (Netherlands)|Socialist Party]], remains minimal.

{{election table|title=Summary of the [[Dutch general election, 2017|2017]], [[Dutch general election, 2021|2021]], [[Dutch general election, 2023|2023]] and [[Dutch general election, 2025|2025]] Dutch [[House of Representatives of the Netherlands|House of Representatives]] election results (Urk)<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.verkiezingsuitslagen.nl/verkiezingen/detail/TK20251029/745712 |title=Tweede Kamer, 2025 }}</ref><ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.verkiezingsuitslagen.nl/verkiezingen/detail/TK20231122/744123 |title=Tweede Kamer, 2023 }}</ref><ref>{{cite web |url=https://verkiezingsuitslagen.nl/verkiezingen/detail/TK20210317/687145 |title=Tweede Kamer, 2021 }}</ref><ref> {{cite web |url=https://verkiezingsuitslagen.nl/verkiezingen/detail/TK20170315/664368 |title=Tweede Kamer, 2017 }}</ref>}}
|-
!style="background-color:#E9E9E9" align=left colspan="2" valign=top|Parties
!style="background-color:#E9E9E9" align=center valign=top|[[Political Ideology]]
!style="background-color:#E9E9E9" align=center valign=top| 2017 Votes %
!style="background-color:#E9E9E9" align=right valign=top| 2021 Vote %
!style="background-color:#E9E9E9" align=right valign=top| 2023 Vote %
!style="background-color:#E9E9E9" align=right valign=top| 2025 Vote %
|- align=right
| {{party color cell|Reformed Political Party|3px}}
|align=left|[[Reformed Political Party]] <br> (Staatkundig Gereformeerde Partij, SGP)
|align="left"|[[Conservatism]], [[Reformed Churches in the Netherlands|Reformed Christian]]
|align="right" |56.1%
|align="right" |54.4%
|align="right" |48.35%
|align="right" |54.21%
|- align=right
| {{party color cell|Party for Freedom|3px}}
|align=left|[[Party for Freedom]] <br> (Partij voor de Vrijheid, PVV)
|align=left|[[Right-wing populism]]/[[Criticism of Islam|Anti-Islam]]
|align="right" |11.0%
|align="right" |13.8%
|align="right" |25.74%
|align="right" |17.28%
|- align=right
| {{party color cell|Forum for Democracy|3px}}
|align=left|[[Forum for Democracy]] <br> (Forum voor Democratie, FvD)
|align=left|[[Right-wing populism]]/[[Criticism of Islam|Anti-Islam]]
|align="right" |-
|align="right" |9.0%
|align="right" |3.69%
|align="right" |9.01%
|- align=right
| {{party color cell|Christian Union (Netherlands)|3px}}
|align=left|[[ChristianUnion]] <br> (ChristenUnie, CU)
|align=left|Social-Christianity /Orthodox Protestantism
|align="right" |11.6%
|align="right" |8.1%
|align="right" |4.14%
|align="right" |5.27%
|- align=right
| {{party color cell|Christian Democratic Appeal|3px}}
|align=left|[[Christian Democratic Appeal]] <br> (Christen-Democratisch Appèl, CDA)
|align=left|[[Christian Democracy]]
|align="right" |14.2%
|align="right" |7.8%
|align="right" |3.71%
|align="right" |6.13%
|- align=right
| {{party color cell|People's Party for Freedom and Democracy|3px}}
|align=left|[[People's Party for Freedom and Democracy]] <br> (Volkspartij voor Vrijheid en Democratie, VVD)
|align=left|[[Conservative liberalism]]
|align="right" |1.8%
|align="right" |1.7%
|align="right" |0.86%
|align="right" |1.19%
|- align=right
| {{party color cell|Democrats 66|3px}}
|align=left|[[Democrats 66]] <br> (Democraten 66, D66)
|align=left|[[Social liberalism]], [[Radicalism (historical)|Radicalism]], [[Progressivism]]
|align="right" |0.5%
|align="right" |0.5%
|align="right" |0.16%
|align="right" |0.66%
|- align=right
| {{party color cell|Party for the Animals|3px}}
|align=left|[[Party for the Animals]] <br> (Partij voor de Dieren, PvdD)
|align=left|[[Animal rights]]/[[Animal welfare]]
|align="right" |0.2%
|align="right" |0.3%
|align="right" |0.08%
|align="right" |0.16%
|- align=right
| {{party color cell|Socialist Party (Netherlands)|3px}}
|align=left|[[Socialist Party (Netherlands)|Socialist Party]] <br> (Socialistische Partij, SP)
|align=left|[[Socialism]]
|align="right" |0.7%
|align="right" |0.2%
|align="right" |0.27%
|align="right" |0.25%
|- align=right
| {{party color cell|GreenLeft|3px}}
|align=left|[[GreenLeft]] <br> (GroenLinks, GL)
|align=left|[[Green politics]]
|align="right" |0.2%
|align="right" |0.2%
|align="right" rowspan=2 |0.65%
|align="right" rowspan=2 |0.57%
|- align=right
| {{party color cell|Dutch Labour Party|3px}}
|align=left|[[Labour Party (Netherlands)|Labour Party]] <br> (Partij van de Arbeid, PvdA)
|align=left|[[Social Democracy]]
|align="right" |0.2%
|align="right" |0.2%
|- align=right
|bgcolor="darkgray"|
|align=left|Other
|align="left" |&ndash;
|align="right" |3.4%
|align="right" |3.8%
|align="right" |12.36%
|align="right" |5.27%
|-
|align=left colspan=2 style="background-color:#E9E9E9"|'''Total'''
|width="100" align="right" style="background-color:#E9E9E9"|
|width="50" align="right" style="background-color:#E9E9E9"|100%
|width="50" align="right" style="background-color:#E9E9E9"|100%
|width="50" align="right" style="background-color:#E9E9E9"|100%
|width="50" align="right" style="background-color:#E9E9E9"|100%
|-
|align=left colspan=2 style="background-color:#E9E9E9"|''Turnout''
|width="100" align="right" style="background-color:#E9E9E9"|
|width="50" align="right" style="background-color:#E9E9E9"|81.57%
|width="50" align="right" style="background-color:#E9E9E9"|91.33%
|width="50" align="right" style="background-color:#E9E9E9"|
|width="50" align="right" style="background-color:#E9E9E9"|89.5%
|}

==Dialect==
{{main|Urkers dialect}}
One of the oldest and most distinctive [[dialect]]s of Dutch is the language spoken in Urk. Nearly everyone in the village speaks this dialect and uses it in daily life. The dialect deviates considerably from contemporary standard Dutch and has preserved many old characteristics that disappeared from standard Dutch a long time ago. The [[Urkers dialect|Urkish dialect]] also includes elements that are older than standard [[Dutch language|Dutch]] and were never part of the standard language. For example, the old word for "father" in the Urkish dialect is {{lang|ned|taote}}. The dialect developed this way because until [[World War II]], Urk was an island and could be reached only by boat. [[Radio]] was unknown, and the poor population did not have much money for [[newspaper]]s and [[book]]s. Until the modern era, primary education for the children typically lasted only two years; afterwards children had to help maintain the family, and formal schooling ended.{{citation needed|date=February 2014}}

Linguistic classifications have assigned "the dialect of Urk" or "Urk" into an own dialect group.<ref>{{Cite journal |url=https://research.rug.nl/en/publications/measuring-dialect-pronunciation-differences-using-levenshtein-dis |title=Measuring Dialect Pronunciation Differences using Levenshtein Distance |first=Wilbert Jan |last=Heeringa |date=26 December 2004 |via=research.rug.nl }}</ref> Urk is no longer an island and exposure to the standard [[Dutch language|Dutch]] through the media is widespread. However, the distinctive Urkish dialect is still alive.

The Urkish dialect has more vowel sounds than standard Dutch and each vowel has short and long forms. The pronunciation of vowels deviates from standard Dutch and is closer to [[English language|English]].

Because living conditions in Urk in historical times were very poor, young girls (typically about age 11 or 12) would frequently leave the island to become domestic servants, mostly in or around Amsterdam. They often served with [[Jewish]] families. After a few years, they would return to Urk to form families of their own. As a result of this practice, the Urkish dialect absorbed some [[loanwords]] from the Amsterdam dialect and also from [[Yiddish]]. For instance, the Yiddish "Shnur" for "sister-in-law" became the Urkish "Snoar" (identical meaning); the Hebrew "Kallah" ({{Script/Hebrew|כלה}}) for "bride" became the Urkish "Kalletjen", meaning "girlfriend" (literally "little bride").

When [[Napoleon]] [[Napoleon in Holland|occupied]] the [[Netherlands]], many French words were incorporated into both standard Dutch and Urkish. Just as for standard Dutch, French words often changed form when incorporated into Urkish. The Urkish dialect has always been primarily a spoken language, and there are not many old texts written in the dialect. Only in recent years have people begun to write prose and poetry in the Urkish dialect. There are Urkers who have translated [[Bible]] books into Urkish, such as the book of [[Psalms]].

==Culture==
[[File:Urk - Urkerdag - 2017 -011.jpg|thumb|Locals in Urk in traditional clothing during ''Urkerdag'' festival]]

===Folktales===
A famous Urkish folktale is the story parents tell their children when they want to know where the babies come from. The tale involves a large exposed rock which can be seen in the IJsselmeer about {{convert|30|m|ft|abbr=off}} from the shore. This stone is known as the "''Ommelebommelestien''". Urkers often tell their children that there are two kinds of people-- ''vreemden'' (strangers) and ''Urkers'' (people from Urk). Strangers are usually born from a cabbage, or a stork brings them to their new parents, but Urkers come from a large stone which lies about {{convert|30|m|ft|abbr=off}} from the shores of their former island. Nowadays, the stone is usually called "Ommelebommelestien" (Ommel-Bommel Stone), but in former times it was called "Ommelmoerstien": ''moer'' means "mother's" in the Urkish dialect. In the tale, a [[stork]] comes all the way from [[Egypt]] to put babies in the stone. When the baby is about to be born, the baby's father is said to have to go to [[Schokland]] to pick up the key that gives access to the stone. So when an Urkish man is asked if he has been to Schokland, he is actually being asked if he has children. In the older days, when both Urk and Schokland were still islands in the [[Zuiderzee]], the father had to take the [[obstetrician]] in his boat and row from Urk to Schokland to get the key, and then from Schokland to the Ommelebommelestien to get the baby. Nowadays he would be able to go to Schokland by car, but according to the legend he still has to row. The door to the stone is somewhere below sea level, so it is difficult to find. Once the door was found, a small price had to be paid for the baby: traditionally one [[Dutch guilder]] for a [[girl]] but two for a [[boy]]. The mother was said to be kept in bed with a nail through her right foot. There she would celebrate that she had just become a mother.

===Arts===
The prolific Dutch writer [[A. C. Baantjer|Albert Cornelis Baantjer]] was born here. Baantjer is mainly known for his large series of detective novels revolving around police inspector De Cock and his side-kick, sergeant Vledder.

Writer [[Jef Last]] lived on Urk for several years from 1932 onwards. He wrote several articles about Urk for one of the most progressive Dutch magazines, "De Groene Amsterdammer". While living here, he fell in love with a fisherman, and was inspired to write ''Zuiderzee''.<ref>{{Cite web |last=DBNL |title=Jef Last, Zuiderzee · dbnl |url=https://www.dbnl.org/tekst/last001zuid01_01/index.php |access-date=24 November 2020 |website=DBNL |language=nl }}</ref> This novel deals with the love between two fishermen living on Urk and was one of the first, if not the first novel in Dutch literature to openly deal with homosexuality.

The Dutch writer, painter and resistance hero [[Willem Arondeus]] spent some time on Urk from 1920. While residing on Urk, during 1922, he wrote 'Afzijdige Strofen', a collection of twenty homo-erotic poems which were posthumously published in 2001.

==Notable people==
<!---♦♦♦ Please keep the list in alphabetical order by LAST NAME ♦♦♦--->
<!---♦♦♦ Only people with an article on Wikipedia ♦♦♦--->
* [[A. C. Baantjer|A.C. Baantjer]] (1923 in Urk – 2010) a Dutch author of detective fiction and police officer
* [[Geert Nentjes]], (born 1998), professional darts player, lives in Urk
* [[Jan Ras]] (born 1999 in Urk) a Dutch footballer who plays for [[SC Heerenveen]]
* [[Dick Schutte]] (born 1947 in Wilsum) a former Dutch politician, Mayor of Urk from 1999 to 2005
<!-- * Erwin Straatsma (1935 in Urk – 2007) a Dutch entrepreneur in the tobacco industry -->
* [[Adri van Heteren]] (born 1951) a Dutch Christian minister in Urk

==See also==
* [[Urk Lighthouse]]
* [[Marken]]
* [[Louise Kaiser]], Urk language researcher

==References==
{{Reflist}}

==External links==
* {{Commons category-inline}}
* {{Official website|http://www.urk.nl}}
* [http://www.opurk.nl Local news site]
* [http://www.knrm.nl/urk/ Local lifeboat station] {{Webarchive |url=https://web.archive.org/web/20050528003415/http://www.knrm.nl/urk/ |date=28 May 2005 }}

{{Flevoland Province}}
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[[Category:Urk| ]]
[[Category:Former islands of the Netherlands]]
[[Category:Former municipalities of North Holland]]
[[Category:Former municipalities of Overijssel]]
[[Category:Municipalities of Flevoland]]
[[Category:Populated places in Flevoland]]