Jaap van 't Veen's photos with the keyword: Fryslân

The Bonifatiuskerk (Saint Boniface Church) is one of the oldest churches in southeast of the province of Friesland . The church building is the historical centre of the village. At its foundation the church was dedicated to Bonifatius . In a document from 1553 the church is referred to as the Parish Church of “H. Vitus te Antiqua Bercoop in Stellingwerff”. The construction of the oldest parts of the church was probably completed around the year 1125. The old churchyard of the church is surrounded by a rustic ring wall, made of Frisian bricks. The ring wall probably dates from the beginning of the 17th century, the same period in which the tower was restored after earlier destruction. The wall was intended to separate the consecrated soil around the church from the unconsecrated ground outside. Old prints show some entrance gates with stepped gables; probability there were four of them in total, one for each cardinal direction. The western (main image) gate was reconstructed in 2012. After the reformation, the church was given a Protestant signature. The complex ofchurch, churchyard and ring wall is a national monument owned by the local protestant congregation.

The Grote of Jacobijnerkerk was originally a chapel of the Dominican or Jacobin monks; a monastery which was founded in 1245. The church itself was built between 1275 and 1310 and therefore it is the oldest building in Leeuwarden. In 1392 the building was badly damaged by a fire, but two years later restored. Early 16th century an aisle was added and later the church was extended with a bay. The gothic building was converted into a protestant church during the reformation and lost her altars and many of the decorations. The church is still used by the protestant community of Leeuwarden for their services The Grote of Jacobijnerkerk is one of the three churches in the Netherlands with a royal crypt. Between 1588 and 1765 sixteen members of the Frisian branch of the Nassau family - the ancestors of the current Dutch royal family - were entombed in this church: six stadtholders of Friesland, their spouses and children. Main image: Oranjepoortje (Orange gate) In 1663 a portal in classical style was added to the choir, especially for members of the Nassau family. The current Oranjepoortje still consists of an outer and inner gate, of which only the former has doors. The triangular pediment was given a new Orange Tree in 1948.

In 1664 the Frisian Nassau’s bought some heathland east of Heerenveen known as ‘t Wold . The ‘village’ became its name Oranjewoud (Orange Forest - Orange is the colour of the Dutch royal family) in the year of 1676, when Albertina Agnes, Prinses van Oranje Nassau, after the death of her husband Willem Frederik van Nassau - Stadtholder of Frisia - bought an existing country estate. Early 18th century her daughter-in-law Henriëtte Amalia van Anhalt-Dessau modernized the manor by (landscape) architect Marot (well known for the construction of Palace Het Loo nearby Apeldoorn). Marot designed two new wings for Oranjewoud, but the central building was never built. The architect also planned the gardens and park around the manor. During the French occupation, both wings were demolished and the property was sold. Two estates were built where the Stadtholder's country house had once stood: Oranjewoud at the site of the old castle and Oranjestein where the home of the estate manager had lived. Various generations of the Oranje-Nassau family spent their summer at Oranjewoud. It remained in the possession of the Oranje-Nassau family for a long time. The last time a family member showed up was in 1791. Not long after, the summer residence was demolished. In 1823, the jonkheer De Blocq van Scheltinga bought the land and had the current country house built on the old foundations. White plastered Huize Oranjewoud (Country House Oranjewoud) is surrounded by a beautiful garden and a moat. The estate remained in the family until 1953. Huize Oranjewoud is private owned and is used and rented to companies for meetings of all kinds.

Most probably the first state (residential manor) was built in the year of 1599. On the same spot the present stately house was built in 1647/48 by Johannes Sytzes Crack, grietman (a kind of mayor) of Aengwirden’. Architect was Willem de Keyser, son of the famous Dutch architect Hendrick de Keyser. The face of the building therefore has some similarity with the houses along the canals of Amsterdam. The building is surrounded by a moat. The bridge over the water dates - as specified on a bricked stone - from 1775. The port for the bridge comes away from the town of Horn and mentions the year 1819. Up to 1833 the house was the residence of the Crack family, when it became a public building, used as a court-house. Crackstate was a very notorious place during World War II, when it was used for torturing and executing people. From 1952 Crackstate is part of the town hall of the municipality of Heerenveen. It is located nearby the town centre.

The Grote Kerk (Great Church) of Hindeloopen must be very old, as it was already destroyed in 1570 during the Eighty Years' War. The church – dedicated to Saint Gertrude -was rebuilt around 1590. The church tower dates from this period and was completed in 1593. In 1632 this church was replaced by a larger building and twentysix years later it was extended southwards into a two-aisled hall church. The extension was demolished in 1892 due to dilapidation. The spire was lost in 1701 after a lightning strike during a service. In 1724, the current spire was placed on top of the tower. On top of the octagonal spire is a dome with a wind vane in the shape of a sailing ship. In 1685 bells were placed in the tower, which were made by the bell foundry of Petrus Overney in Leeuwarden. During World War II the bells were stolen. One of the bells was recovered after the liberation. The entrance portal on the south side was made in 1658 by Claes Lykles. In the pediment above the coat of arms of Hindeloopen and the year 1658. During the renovation of 1892, this entrance was moved to the south side of the church. The Grote Kerk is recognized as a national monument.

The Grote of Sint-Gertrudiskerk (Great or Saint Gertrudis Church) is a huge late Gothic hall church, which is quite unusual for this part of the Netherlands. The late church was built at the end of the 15th century (1480) by adding a choir to its single-nave predecessor. Shortly afterwards a transept was also built. Around 1515, work began on replacing the old one-aisled cruciform with the present three-aisled hall church. Due to a war, work was only restarted in 1523. The nave was never completed and in 1615 was closed by a wooden wall - which remained until the restoration of 1939/1951 - leaving the still unfinished tower standing at some distance in front of the church. In 1613 a crown with an onion-shaped dome was added to the tower. The Grote of Sint-Gertrudiskerk I still used for services by the Protestant church of Workum. .

The first mention of a church in Lemmer dates back to the 13th century. The foundation stone of the current Tsjerke oan it Dok (Church at the Harbour) was laid more than 300 years ago. According to the numerical wall anchors on the tower, the church was built in 1716. In 1759 the church was enlarged with a transept on the north side. The tower of he curch is half-embedded. The people of Lemmer call the tower of this church the Lemster toer (the Lemster tower>. If they can see it from a distance, they know they are (almost) home again. The original tower clock from 1598 was removed by order of the German occupiers during the World War II and has not been returned. After the liberation, the Tsjerke oan it Dok received a new clock. A memorial stone was unveiled after the war in the facade above the tower entrance, in memory of the approximately 50 war victims from Lemmer. Unfortunately, the church – as so often in the Netherlands – was not open to visitors, so I was not able to admire the interior.

In 1565 the city council of Harlingen received permission from Philips II to expand the city on the north side. This mainly concerned the widening of the northern canal to Noorderhaven (Northern Harbour) and the planned neighbourhood to the north of it. These activities were completed in the years 1579-1580 and Harlingen had approximately tripled in size. This tidal port accommodated many vessels that came from the Frisian hinterland and was connected to the sea. The port became a popular place to live for wealthy citizens and still has many monumental houses today. Warehouses were also built along the water. Some names of the warehouses recall the destinations of the merchants, such as Poland, Russia, Java, and Sumatra. In 1730, town architect H.J. Norel started with the construction of the new town hall , which is also located along the Noorderhaven .

The 'new old' town hall of Harlingen - one of the eleven Frisian cities - stands on the south side of the Noorderhaven opposite the Raadhuisbrug. The block-shaped building was built in 1730 by city architect Hendrik Jacobs Norel in Louis XIV style. In 1756, a new wing replaced the 16th-century Renaissance town hall behind this new building; only a tower was retained (PiP3). At the front, the symmetrical facade has a balcony and a gilded statue of Michael, the patron saint of the city of Harlingen. The statue was made by Gerbrandus van der Haven. The town hall is more than ‘just’ a monument, as it is still in use by the municipality.

Firdgum is a small village on a terp (a man made mound), created in the Middle Ages. The little village has about 30 houses and 70 inhabitants. Until 1794 there was a 13th century Reformed church, dedicated to St. Nicolas. The church was demolished in 1794 as it was too dilapidated and dangerous to hold services in. The tower made of bricks - which still contains a bell from 1471 - has remained and still rises like a 19 meter high landmark in the flat landscape. The three-storey gabled tower was restored in 1922 and a Lombard band was added. In 1986 the tower was restored again. The church tower is a national heritage monument of the Netherlands.

The Corn Carrier’s House with the beautiful stepped gable dates from 1634. At that time, the “corn and grain carriers” formed a guild-like professional group. The corn carrier - in earlier times an official appointed by the city council to ensure that the trade in grain was conducted fairly - was responsible for distributing corn and grain from incoming ships. They determined the quantities of corn to be supplied and the excise duty to be paid.

Franeker - one of the eleven cities of Friesland - was probably founded around the year 800. From the 11th to the 16th century, Franeker developed into the administrative centre of the region. In the 15th century, Duke Albrecht van Saksen settled in Franeker and the town received city rights. Franeker seemed to be developing into the capital of Friesland, but was surpassed by Leeuwarden. Without a doubt, the graceful city hall is the most beautiful building in the city. The first stone was laid in 1591 and the construction took three years. It is one of the earliest town halls in the Frisian Renaissance style; beautifully detailed and decorated. Above the main entrance, the coat of arms of Friesland is depicted and at the top of the gable, the statue of Lady Justice, the goddess of justice, is displayed. The side wing of the building looks completely different and dates from 1760. The building is a national monument and is listed in the top 100 of Dutch heritage sites.

A collage of flowers we came across during a cycle trip on the island of Vlieland.

There has been a chapel - first mentioned in 1245 - at this location on the island of Vlieland, which was dedicated to Saint Nicholas. It became a parish church in the late Middle Ages. Later, it was elevated to a parish church. As the village of West-Vlieland gradually became depopulated (see: www.ipernity.com/doc/294067/50819386) and the inhabitants moved to Oost-Vlieland, the need arose for a larger building. After the Reformation the chapel was replaced by the present building, using bricks from the demolished chapel. The Nicolaaskerk (Nicholas Church) was built in 1605 as an east-west oriented simple hall church. At that point it was one of the first church buildings in the Netherlands built voor Protestant services. In 1647 the church was extended in the direction of the church square and acquired its current form. The interior of the Nicolaaskerk is famous for the whale jaws that were once used as tombstones, but were brought inside because of the acid rain. Many parts of the church are made of jute wood, like some pews, and a panel of the pulpit once was a door of a ship. The chandeliers were donated by the King of Sweden and Michiel Adriaenszoon de Ruyter, one of the most skilled Dutch admirals in history. (Unfortunately, due to the corona measures, it was not possible for me to visit the interior of the church. We could only catch a glimpse of it from behind a locked glass door.) The last restoration of the - nowadays - only church on Vlieland was in 1997. For a time it was known as Hervormde Kerk , but is now named by its original name, Nicolaaskerk . In addition to services, it serves also as a venue for concerts.

Het Oude Raadhuis (The Old Town Hall) was built in 1855 to replace a building from 1598. The town hall was built in neo-classical style. Two gable stones still remind one of the old town hall: one with the year 1598 and one with Vlieland's coat of arms on it. The town hall has a hip-roof with chimneys at the corners. On the roof is a bell tower, on which a weather vane in the shape of a ship is placed. The pillars in front of the door bear the two former coats of arms of Oost- and West-Vlieland. The building was registered as a national monument in 1967. In 2001 Het Oude Raadhuis was sold to the Vereniging Hendrick de Keyser (an association aiming to be the guardian of the architectural heritage of The Netherlands by acquiring, conserving, restoring and renting out historic properties). This association had Het Oude Raadhuis restored in 2005. Nowadays the building is used as a wedding venue.

Vlieland has a number of scattered forests, although these did not originally belong to the island. They are now over 100 years old; planted at the beginning of the 20th century. At that time, 300 ha of the dunes on Vlieland were converted into woodland. The main purpose was to get a grip on the shifting sand. On the highest points of the island, maritime pines were planted (this species can withstand dryness). Furthermore, Corsican, Austrian, and mountain pines were planted. Each pine was given its own place.

The history of Het Armhuis dates back to 1632. In that year it was decided that a kind of home for former sailors should be created. Thanks to a generous donation from the clergyman Abraham Ursinius, the deaconry was able to take on this task. For centuries the house provided shelter to old (seafaring) people, the needy and later also to orphans. Until 1950 it functioned as an Armhuis . After a thorough restoration in 1997, the building was used as a restaurant and gallery (in the meantime the restaurant will be closed on 1 June 2021). Het Armhuis is also an official wedding location on Vlieland.

De Vuurduin is the landmark of the island of Vlieland. This lighthouse - also called the Rode Kabouter (Red Gnome) - is a monument. It is only 16.8 metres high, but thanks to its location on the 42-metre-high Vuurboetsduin , the light from the tower shines 55 metres above sea level. The lights and the glass are stationary; a sort of curtain rotates to screen the light every two seconds. The cast-iron red tower was originally the superstructure of a tower from IJmuiden and was transferred to Vlieland in 1909. In 1929, an observation post on stilts was built next to the lighthouse. In 1986, the dome of the lighthouse was completely renovated. De Vuurduin works completely automatically. The lighthouse keeper is still regularly present for visitors. The stairs to the panoramic roof have 49 steps; the lamp is 9 steps higher. From the lighthouse one has a unique view over two seas: the Wadden Sea and the North Sea.