Today is remembrance day in the Netherlands. The country grinds to a halt at 8pm (local time) for two minutes while we commemorate the victims of the second world war, and those who fell for our freedom since...
read moreThe Plofsluis, or Thud Lock, over the Amsterdam Rhine Canal. The Dutch Water Line was created in the 17th century (the Dutch golden age) and maintained until 1940, to protect the populous (and wealthy) western part of the country. It was an inundation area, it could turn the western area into an easy to defend island. The Amsterdam Rhine Canal, started in the 1930s, would be a weak point in the defense line, as water would just flow away through the canal. The Plofsluis would be created to prevent that. It would be filled with a mixture of...
read moreIn the 18th century, a group of people from the village Herrnhut in Saxony settled on the estate of Zeist Castle. They were members of the Herrnhuter Brüdergemeine, also known as the Unity of the Brethren or the Moravian Church. Their settlement flourished, and they built their own church, houses and schools, and their own cemetery. The Moravian Church is still present in Zeist, but not as visible as before. Their heritage remains, though, and can still be seen just outside the castle. Since they arrived in the mid 18th century, members of...
read moreThere is a little castle in the Dutch city Zeist, known as Slot Zeist (Castle Zeist). It looks more like a manor, actually, but it does have a moat. Originally built in the late middle ages, it was largely rebuilt between 1677 and 1686, by Dutch architect Jacobus Roman (1640-1716). In the 18th century, the castle and surrounding estate became the center of the Moravian Church in Holland, when the landlord invited a group of Herrnhuter Brüdergemeine to settle on the estate. Their church and cemetery are still in use. The current owner of the...
read moreThis beautiful statue, in front of the Jacobikerk (St James church) in Utrecht, commemorates Alyt Ponciaens, a 15th century hermit. She lived in a small cell inside the Jacobikerk, filling her days with prayer and contemplation. Hermits like Alyt were common in Holland (and indeed in large parts of Europe) at the time, many cities had one or more, often female, hermits. They were locked in a small cell inside the church, and could follow the mass through a small window. They also got their food trough the window, and people flocked to the...
read moreRecently I shared a few photos I took in the village Leersum. During the second world war Leersum was the stage of a small battle where eleven Dutch soldiers lost their lives, and a couple of war memorials remind us of their offer. Another monument honors people from Leersum itself that gave their lifes during the...
read moreIn the northeast of the Netherlands, in and around the province Drenthe, are over 50 hunebedden – 4000 years old megalithic burial sites. Next to the largest hunebed, just outside the village Borger, is a small hunebed museum. Today, on photo Friday, I share photos from the hunebed and the museum....
read moreNear the Dutch town Overveen, at a beautiful spot in the dunes, is a small cemetery. The graves here are special: They belong to Dutch heroes who gave their lives for their country, as members of the resistance movement during the second world war. Enjoy my photo impression of this beautiful cemetery, and respect the great offer of the people buried...
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