Gorredijk (West Frisian: De Gordyk) is the largest town in the municipality of Opsterland, in the Dutch province of Friesland.

Over the hole in the dike a Hoogholtje bridge was built, underneath which the peat ships could sail with masts lowered.

On 22 November 1880, an organization called Plaatselijk Belang (English: Local Interest) was established to aid the inhabitants of Gorredijk.

For example, the local population could borrow money from the organization and Plaatselijk Belang involved itself in issues in and around town, such as the connection to the railway network of the Nederlandsche Tramweg Maatschappij [nl].

Surviving to the present, the organization remains closely involved and along with local interest groups in neighboring communities, forms a crucial dialog partner of the municipality of Opsterland.

The organization periodically consults with the municipal government and informs those interested in current events via its website.

The town originated as a linear settlement along the Opsterlandse Compagnonsvaart [nl] with the most important streets being the Brouwerswal, Kerkewal, Molenwal and Langewal.

The most recent construction project is the Loevestein plan, which has closed significant distance between Gorredijk and the nearby village of Lippenhuizen.

The former spring and autumn livestock market also dates back to those days, when cattle left or returned to the barns, respectively.

At the beginning of 1900 there were more than 100 "living room bars" in Gorredijk and the town brewed its own spirits: Gerard Brons [nl] Beerenburg and jenever.

There is a Catholic Church, a Protestant congregation, a Mennonite community, and a Kingdom Hall of the Jehovah's Witnesses.

In the 1880s the Jewish family De Haan, with the then very young future authors Jacob Israël and Carry, lived there for a few years.

On the eve of the liberation, there was a shooting near the draw bridge in the main street, which is now named after the fallen resistance fighter Gerke Numan.

During the occupation, a number of Allied aircraft were shot down in the area, of which a crew of six from a British Vickers Wellington bomber are buried in the local graveyard.