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Riis
Rijs | |
|---|---|
Municipality | |
 Riis Gemeentehûs (town hall) | |
 Flag | |
  Riis Location in Hennehouwe | |
| Country | Hennehouwe |
| Region | Lower Stegeren |
| County | Grensland |
| Government | |
| • Body | Municipal council |
| • Mayor | Marina Hoekstra (NVP) |
| Area | |
| • Total | 84.81 km2 (32.75 sq mi) |
| • Land | 84.35 km2 (32.57 sq mi) |
| • Water | 0.46 km2 (0.18 sq mi) |
| Elevation | 33 m (108 ft) |
| Population (2018 census) | |
| • Total | 7,641 |
| • Density | 90/km2 (230/sq mi) |
| Postcode | NH31 |
| Area code | 047 |
| Website | riis |
Riis (Hennish: Rijs, also referred to as East-Riis or Oost-Rijs), is a municipality in Hennehouwe, located in the region of Lower Stegeren. The municipality is located on the border between Hennehouwe and Estmere, sharing a complicated borderline with exclaves that make up the majority of the Estmerish town Rees, which themselves contain second-order exclaves of Riis. The municipality had a population of 7,641 at the time of the 2018 census.
In addition to the complicated border, Riis is also famous for hosting the Rock'nRiis festival along with its Estmerish sister town, with the festival main stage traditionally straddling the border of the two countries. Riis is one of just five municipalties in Hennehouwe with Dellish as an official language, and one of a handful which have three co-official languages: Dellish, Hennish and Estmerish.
Geography
Border with Rees
Riis is known for its complex border with Rees, Estmere.
The history behind the complicated borders of the two towns dates back to a number of land swaps, treaties and peace settlements by nobles and clergymen of both Hennish and Estmerish origin dating back to the 15th century. The most notable of these land swaps was during the late 1480's when the declared allegiances of landowners resulted in an agreed land swap conducted between the Duke of the Perch and nobles from Stegeren. The borders were officially agreed upon at the Treaty of Eternal Amendist Friendship between the new Sotirian Commonwealth and the Kingdom of Estmere in 1646, with a further simplification occurring a century later at the Treaty of Verlois in 1747.
Whilst cross-border activities and freedom of movement within the area remained ambiguous due the split nature of the town, a bilateral agreement was signed in 1940, affirming the right of residents to freely travel between the borders of the towns without restriction. The founding of the Euclean Community in 1948, to which Hennehouwe and Estmere were both party, and the subsequent establishment of the Zilverzee Area in 1983, have virtually eroded the once-complex realities of the border.
The majority of the area of the municipality is located within Hennehouwe proper, with the remainder consisting of twelve exclaves within Estmerish territory: six of which are counter-exclaves located within the largest Estmerish exclave (referred to officially as E1), with the other six being located within Estmere proper. The Hennish exclaves are mostly small pockets of land, including the smallest piece of sovereign territory by area in the world: exclave H9, which contains just one house, has an area of 0.0018 km2 (0.0007 sq mi).
Today, the towns of Riis and Rees are highly integrated both economically and culturally. The towns' borders are marked by pavings in the road and on pedrestrianised streets, marked on either side with 'E' (Estmere) or 'H' (Hennehouwe). The physical border is mostly symbolic, however it is not uncommon for the border to run directly through individual houses and businesses. In these cases, it is generally assumed that the location of the front door of the property determines the country of residence or business. Some businesses that straddle the border have opted to have two front doors - one on the Estmerish side, and one on the Hennish side - in order to take advantage of discrepencies in trading laws where applicable. For instance, the lower legal drinking age of 16 in Estmere (compared with 18 in Hennehouwe) means that off licenses with two separate front doors can sell liquor to Hennish 16- and 17-year-olds, provided it is conducted on the Estmerish side of the premises.