Dokkum is an old city (some say dating from c. 300 AD) in northeast Friesland, one of the 11 Frisian cities Dokkum is a Dutch fortified town in the municipality of Dongeradeel in the province of Friesland. It has 12,999 inhabitants (1 January 2004). Dokkum acquired city rights in 1298. The site of the city was often flooded and to combat this the residents built a hill called a 'terp' to raise their houses and the church out of reach of the water all around. Some of the streets, such as Markt,
climb these man-made hills.

In case of the Elfstedentocht Dokkum is known as the keerpunt (turning point in Dutch) as it is the place where the speed-skaters have to take the same route as they came to go back to Leeuwarden. .

In 1984 the city merged with Oost- and West- Dongeradeel to form the municipality of Dongeradeel, and became the municipality seat. [Borrowed from http://www.crwflags.com/fotw/flags/nl-fr-dk.html]

Regnier Gemma Frisius - mathematician - was born in Dokkum & lived from 1508 to 1555
http://www-groups.dcs.st-and.ac.uk/~history/Mathematicians/Gemma_Frisius.html

Dokkum is famous internationally as Saint Boniface was murdered close to Dokkum in 754.
http://www.newadvent.org/cathen/02656a.htm