Language policy
Leeuwarden is the capital of the only bi-lingual region in the Netherlands. Since 2001, the Historisch Centrum Leeuwarden officially is a bi-lingual institution, that considers the two national languages, Dutch and Frisian, as equally important. The use of Frisian in speech and in written language is being stimulated.
The Liwwadders-dialect
In Leeuwarden a special dialect still is spoken, the Liwwadders. It takes a special place in the social life of the city between the dominant Dutch language and the Frisian language, that is gradually more and more accepted. HCL organizes one or more activities per year in or around the Liwwadders-dialect.