Jaap van 't Veen's photos

The Ruïnekerk (Ruined Church) is dating back to the second quarter of the 15th century and was built on the site of a smaller pilgrimage chapel, which was built after the so called ’Miracle of Bergen’ in 1422. At time of the construction the church was the largest in the province of North-Holland. Originally it was a Gothic church, dedicated to Peter and Paul. In 1574, during the Eighty Years’ War against Spain, the church was looted and burned down by Dutch Protestants troops De Geuzen . The tower was lost completely, but the rulers of Bergen prevented the eventual destruction of the other remains, parts of the outer walls of the nave and the walls of the choir with its flanking chapels. The choir was rebuilt in 1594-1597 to serve as a Protestant church. Between 1955 and 1961 the church was restored and became a new wooden porch. The date 1958 is inscribed on the church facade to commemorate the restoration. In 1970, a 26-bell carillon was installed. Nowadays the church is still used for weekly services, but also for weddings, funerals and other cultural events. The Ruïnekerk - a national monument - is the landmark of Bergen, located right in the heart of the village.

Molen L-Q is a reed-covered octagonal polder mill probably built around 1597. The mill drained the 298-hectare so-called section “L-Q” of the Zijpe and Haze Polder. The “L-Q section” was created in 1960 by merging the L and Q sections; Molen L-Q used to be called 'The L'. In 1962, a diesel engine was installed, which took the windmill out of service. The gradually decaying Molen L-Q was restored in the years 1972-1974 and has been operating more or less regularly ever since. The mill is located on the western side of the Noordhollandsch Kanaal, near the hamlet of Burgervlotbrug and is of great scenic significance in the open meadow area.

Lagia is a village in southeast Mani with some stone mansions and a Greek Orthodox Church on the main square. The church is built on a slope. Through the door in the tower one will reach a kind of balcony, which gives a view on the beautiful frescoes on the walls and ceiling. A staircase leads to the ground floor of this remarkable village church. Sorry but I couldn’t find more information about this church.

The so called Kop van Noord-Holland is the northern part of the province of North Holland. This area is the largest continuous bulb area in the world. The soil - mostly sand - is extremely suitable for growing bulbs. Bulbs grow well because the winters are relatively warm and the spring is cool. Because of this favourable climate, diseases are less common. The Kop van Noord-Holland is the largest bulb area in the Netherlands. Colourful blooming bulb fields reach as far as the eye can see. From mid-March to mid-May the region turns into one big sea of flowers. It starts with the crocus season, then daffodils and hyacinths appear and finally the tulips show their striking colours from mid-April until the beginning of May. The Kop van Noord-Holland is our favourite region in the Netherlands for visiting flowering bulb fields. It is perhaps less known than the area around the famous Keukenhof , but definitely more attractive to us. In addition to these endless bulb fields, the region features a couple of very interesting sights: Hortus Bulborum in Limmen with hundreds of different species of blooming bulbs and the Poldertuin in Anna Paulowna, a public park with more than 200.000 bulbs.

The Groetermolen (Groeter Mill) is a octagonal polder mill built in 1890, after its predecessor burned down a year earlier due to a lightning strike. The mill is a so-called ground sailer. Until 1977 the windmill was used exclusively for draining the Groeterpolder . In that year an electric pump was installed, as a result of which the windmill was no longer used. Today, both the windmill and the electric pumping station ensure the drainage of the 220 ha Groeterpolder . In 2020 the Groetermolen made over 933.000 rotations.

New Norcia was founded in 1847 by Spanish Benedictine monks. Originally established as an Aboriginal Mission, the monks built a village comprising a church, flour mills, schools, hostel, apiary, blacksmiths shop, olive shed and olive groves surrounding the monastery. The settlement had/has many purposes; a mission, a monastery and a provider of education. The monastery - where the monks live, work and pray - is the heart of New Norcia. Beside the religious buildings New Norcia offers a museum and art gallery, which shows an array of artefacts that trace New Norcia’s time as an Aboriginal mission, a centre of extensive farming and as a place of education and culture. Nowadays the town is an important cultural heritage site. Twenty seven of its buildings are classified by the National Trust and the town as a whole is registered on the National Estate. It continues to be home to a community of Benedictine monks, who own and operate this unique settlement.

Today the Netherlands produces billions of flower bulbs each year (of which two thirds are exported worldwide).The business of growing flower bulbs began almost 400 years ago. The first Dutch flower bulbs grew in Leiden, in the botanical garden of the university. They were planted there by Carolus Clusius, a scientist who wrote the first major book on tulips in 1592. Leiden was the first bulb region of the Netherlands, but initially the tulips did not leave Clusius's botanical garden. Only after a theft cultivation could spread. Once, the value of tulips was enormous. They were imported to the Netherlands from Turkey in the mid-16th century and gradually seized the passions of rich Dutchmen. In the Dutch Golden Age tulips became popular in paintings and festivals; tulip collecting amongst the elites became a popular pastime. In the mid-17th century, tulips were so popular that they created the first economic bubble, known as "Tulip Mania" (tulipomania). As people bought up bulbs, they became so expensive that they were used as money until the market in them crashed. But the Netherlands is still the centre for the trade of flowers and bulbs.

Broek in Waterland is one of the villages in the Netherlands I do like very much. For me it is almost unbelievable to find such an authentic and picturesque place less than ten kilometers from Amsterdam and without the crowds in other more touristy places around. Broek in Waterland was originally a fishermen's village and for that reason its church is dedicated to St. Nicolas , the patron saint of seafarers. From the mid 16th century this activity was rapidly replaced by stock farming and the production of dairy. The dairy products were transported to Amsterdam by boat. The harbour - called Havenrak (PiP1) remained important for the village and is still the heart of Broek en Waterland. In the 17th and 18th century it was a popular village for the extremely rich (grain) merchants of this area and many impressive houses were built. The tiny village offers almost hundred meticulously renovated and preserved state monuments from the Dutch Golden Age period. Much of these traditional ‘Broeker houses’ have just one floor - due to the weak ground - and are constructed with a timber frame and walls. Much of them are nowadays painted in the famous Broeker grijs (Broeker Grey).

The Église Saint-Lambert (Saint-Lambert Church) is the parish church of the village of Sippenaeken. It is located on a hill above the valley of the river Geul. This classical-style building was built between 1840 and 1841. The brick structure rests on a base of sandstone and limestone. An octagonal spire surmounts the square tower. Although the outside of the church is quite simple, I was pleasantly surprised by the interior (even with the red-white corona-ribbons on the pews) with its beautiful altar.

Traditional bulb fields can be found around the area between Castricum and Bergen. These - often smaller - fields are located at the foot of the dunes. Bulb growers find an ideal soil for growing their bulbs, consisting of a mixture of dune sand and clay; in Dutch called ‘geestgrond’.

Gouda received city rights in the year of 1272. In 1448-1450 the town hall was built. Now it is considered being one of the oldest Gothic town halls in the Netherlands. The building was designed by architect Jan III Keldermans, from the famous Flemish Keldermans family of architects, who were also responsible for several other city halls and churches around the Netherlands and Flanders. In the summer of 1438, a major city fire caused serious damage to the town hall. The city council decided that the new town hall should be free and chose the market square - then still a swampy peat bog - as the new location. The town hall is located on the Market Square, one of the largest market squares in the Netherlands. Over the past centuries, the town hall has been altered and rebuilt many times. It was originally surrounded by a moat, which was filled up in 1603. In the 17th century, a staircase was added to the town hall, leading to the building itself and to the balcony on the rear façade. The town hall - still the landmark of Gouda - can be visited during weekdays given that there are no wedding ceremonies.

Castle Beusdael is located outside the village of Sippenaeken. The castle - surrounded by a moat - is characterized by three main parts: an imposing limestone tower, dating back to the 13th century (12 meters wide and up to 28 meters below the cornice with thick walls 1.5 to 2.5 meters at the base), the main building in stone and bricks from the 16th century, and finally the neo-Gothic chapel of the late 19th century. To enter the castle, you cross a stone bridge over the moat with a gate building. The first Lords of Beusdael appear in the 14th century. This family was powerful and owned several properties, like the Dutch castles of Geusselt and Goedenraad. By marriages and heritages the Castle Beusdael transferred from the Van Beusdael family to a lot of noble families until the 19th century. In 1875 it was inherited by Count Florent d'Oultremont, who ordered major alterations to the castle. Castle Beusdael had several other owners until it was bought by the Antoine family in 1976. The castle is private property and still inhabited and not accessible.

De Goudse Waag (Gouda Weighing House) is a monumental historic building dating from 1668, designed by the well-known Dutch architect Pieter Post. Gouda was an important transit point between Amsterdam and Rotterdam. All goods weighing more than 10 pounds were weighed at De Goudse Waag , and duty then needed to be paid on them. The ground floor of De Goudse Waag - formerly used to weigh cheese - nowadays houses the tourist information center of Gouda. Further on it is home of the Cheese and Crafts Museum. Here, one can learn about the building’s history, the products weighed and traded, and how cheese is made.

Windmill De Roos (The Rose) is located on the former city wall of Delft. The mill was built in 1679 on a roundel, a semi-circular defensive structure. A wooden post mill had already been standing on the same spot since 1500. This mill is the only remaining mill of the eighteen windmills in Delft. Originally De Roos was also made of wood. In steps, it was converted into a brick one, which gave the mill a special shape. For instance, the substructure is hexagonal and the superstructure round. In 1728, the dwelling house was built in a semicircle around the mill. Around 1760, the mill looked as it does today. The mill was in bad shape in the early 1980s. It was crooked due to a subsidence in 1929 and the cap was badly affected by a beetle. In 1988, the mill was refurbished and the superstructure straightened. Windill De Roos is still used for grinding flour; since spring 2015 it is grinding organic grain for private individuals, bakers and the catering industry. The mill is turning a couple of days a week and can be visited.

Teatro Romano (Roman Theatre) was built in the late reign of Roman emperor Augustus, some decades after the foundation of the city (25 BC). It was extended two centuries later. The theatre occupies three blocks annexed to the ancient city walls, along the Roman main road structure occupied an area of 81 by 64 meters. One can still identify its semi-circular tiers, the orchestra pit, and the stage wall, which was once raised with decorated columns, marble and statues. The theatre could hold as many as 4.000 spectators. Today the southern façade - perforated by arches and windows - still remains. The wall has a height of 22 meters. The cavea was enclosed in a rectangular-shaped wall including the remaining southern part. This was reinforced by buttresses each 5.5 metres from the other, and included by four orders of arcades which lightened its structure. In the Middle Ages, the original function of the theater was forgotten and different constructions began to grow around it. Their demolition was proposed in 1863 , but the process finally completed between 1933 and 1941.

One of the most prominent buildings in Ootmarsum is the (former) town hall with its beautifully decorated facade and with the town coat of arms above the entrance. The town hall was built in 1778 on the same site where the Huys der Stadt had also stood since 1564. The new town hall was designed by architect Egbert Schrader. It became a town hall without a turret. A copper weather vane was put on the ridge of the roof. Only much later - in 1839 - was a turret put on the town hall. Ootmarsum was a separate municipality until 2001, when it became a part of Dinkelland. Two years later, the town hall was sold by the new municipality. The building then had various functions, but as a national monument it will always remain in Ootmarsum.

The first construction of the town hall in Delft dates back to 1200. In 1400, it was rebuilt or remodelled. In 1618 the town hall burned down. It was then rebuilt to a design by Hendrick de Keyser - a famous Dutch architect - in 1618-1620. Over the centuries the town hall was modified several times. In the process, the double staircase to the main entrance had to give way, the main entrance was widened at the cost of two windows, and the shutters and stained-glass windows disappeared. In the 20th century, the town hall was restored under the direction of architect Jo Kruger, and is now back to the state of Hendrick de Keyser's design in the Dutch Renaissance style. The town hall was the former seat of the city council; nowadays it is still used for wedding ceremonies. The building is an important landmark of Delft.

The Collegiata di Sant'Orso (Collegiate church of Saint Ursus) is dedicated to Saint Ursus of Aosta. The original church - dating back to the 5th century - had a single hall. It was entirely rebuilt in the 11th century, during the Carolingian age. Later the church was further renovated into a basilica plan with three naves with wooden trusses. These were replaced by Gothic cross vaults in the 15th century. The church has a quite simple interior with 11th century Ottonial frescoes and a wooden choir. It is also home to numerous missals and reliquaries, including the relics of Saint Ursus, which rest in the crypt. The Romanesque cloister (PiP3) is another religious building in the Saint Ursus complex. Its construction dates back to the 12th century. The cloister has historiated capitals (PiP4), decorated with fantastic beasts, biblical events and scenes from the life of Saint Ursus himself. 37 of the 42 original capital remains: they were originally in white marble, though now they mostly appear in dark gray color after being washed with ash paint. Opposite the entrance of the collegiate church stands the imposing bell tower (PiP5), 46 meters tall. Originally it was a defense tower dating back to the end of the 10th century. The present structure, in Romanesque style, dates to the 12th century