Jaap van 't Veen's photos

Wildemanshofje is one of more than a hundred courtyards with almshouses in the Netherlands. It was named after the founder Gerrit Wildeman (1627-1702). As a shipowner and trader of colonial goods he was one of the wealthiest men in Alkmaar. By the end of his life his wife and two children had died. In his will he stipulated that his inheritance had to be spent on a new provenhuis : a free housing for elderly widows, who also got “money, butter and peat” four times a year. The start of construction was postponed until spring 1713 and took a year. It was supervised by two 'city carpenters. Wildemanshofje has a high gatehouse at the front with a regent's room on the top floor. The four wings of the complex with a total of 24 houses surround a courtyard garden. There are two old wells where water used to be fetched for laundry. The lime trees in the symmetrically landscaped courtyard were planted in 1758 to protect the houses from the sun. Nowadays there still live women in the renovated and modernized houses. Unlike in the past, they now have to pay rent.

Unlike other years - as a result of the corona crisis - we only could visit the flower bulb fields in the so called Kop van Noord-Holland for just one day. Yet we were able to enjoy the exceptional splendour of colours: from white to almost black !! Our favourite bulb field this year was the bright orange (= Dutch) coloured field adjacent to the nature reserve the Wildrijk .

The so called Kop van Noord-Holland is the northern part of the province of North Holland: an authentic area, surrounded by three coasts: North Sea, Wadden Sea and IJsselmeer. The Kop van Noord-Holland is also the largest tulip area in the Netherlands. Colourful flowers and bulb fields as far as the eyes 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 different colours from mid-April until the beginning of May. In addition to the vast bulb fields the Kop van Noord-Holland 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 220.000 bulbs. Thanks to the long springs with cool nights this part of the country is extremely suitable for tulip growing. The sandy soil in the polders is constantly drained. This creates ideal conditions for the bulbs.

The Wildrijk is one of the smallest (800 x 240 meters) forests in the Netherlands. Yet this nature reserve is one of the most beautiful spots of the province of North Holland, especially in spring. During that time of the year it is surrounded by colourful bulb fields. The forest is covered with a blue carpet of thousands and thousands of wild bluebells, with some pink or white species. The flowers alternate with the fresh green of ferns. Other special plants also grow here; this fauna owes the Wildrijk to the clean water, which is led directly from the nearby dunes along the North Sea. The Wildrijk is located in the Zijperpolder , where in the past wealthy merchants from Amsterdam owned wooded country estates. Later, during the construction of the Noordhollandsch Kanaal , a lot of forest was cut down by workers. In 1940 the area came into the possession of Landschap Noord-Holland , a Dutch foundation which aims to protect the landscape and nature of the province of North Holland.

The Poldertuin in Anna Paulowna has become a well known name in the region. It offers a large assortment of tulips (230 species), daffodils (125 species), hyacinths (30 species) and special bulbous and tuberous plants (35 species). During springtime - early April till early May - visitors are treated to a lavish and colourful park, which can be visited free of charge.

After the construction of the Anna Paulownapolder an office of the water board was built. This stately home is locally known as Polderhuis . In 1885 the Poldertuin (Polder Garden) around the house was designed by landscape architect Jan David Zocher jr., who also designed the well known Vondelpark in Amsterdam and the garden of Soestdijk Palace. His gardens are characterized by winding paths and water features with bridges. Polderhuis (nowadays privately owned) and Poldertuin were sold to the municipality. The garden is still owned by the municipality of Hollands Kroon, but since 2014 it is managed by a foundation. In autumn volunteers plant 220.000 flower bulbs, which are blooming between early April and mid May. The flower bulbs are donated by about hundred flower bulb growers in the region. Park Poldertuin with its large variety of springtime flowers like tulips, daffodils, hyacinths and special bulbs and tubers is also called ‘Little Keukenhof’ and can be visited free of charge. The garden is a real hidden gem and almost unknown to tourists.

Oudeschans is the smallest fortress-village of the Netherlands. The fortress itself was built in 1593 ad the fortification was used for military purposes until 1814. The sconce changed into a common rural village and much of the military past disappeared. Until 1972, when a reconstruction of the fortress started. As a result the walls, moats and bastion are visible again. Almost twenty years later the fortification became a state protected village area. Oudeschans had and has four so called bastions: a pentagonal masonry or earthen extension of a defensive wall or embankment. On one of the bastions lies a cemetery, called the Doodenbastion (“Death Bastion”). It is situated on a bastion because the fortress itself was located in a marshy area, which is not very suitable for a cemetery. The cemetery has been put into use shortly after the construction of the fortress. The cemetery has very old tombstones and tombs from our time.

In the middle of the 16th century the first inhabitants are mentioned on the site of today's Oudeschans. In those days a zijl (lock opening to the sea) was built in the river Westerwoldse Aa, on a strategic position close to a bay of the Wadden Sea. In the year of 1593 - during the Eighty Years’ War, or Dutch War of Independence (1566–1648) - Count Willem Lodewijk van Nassau-Dillenburg built a fortress around the lock, where he moored his 150 ships and had 2.200 troops disembark. The fortress played an important role in the battle of the Dutch troops against the Spanish authority. The fortification was initially named Bellingwolderschans (Sconce of Bellingwolde). It was renamed Oudeschans (Old Sconce), after the fortification of Nieuweschans was built in 1628. As a result of reclamation and the relocation of the river, the fortress became less important in the middle of the 17th century. In the 18th century the sconce was neglected and disbanded in 1814. At the end of the 20th century, the remains of the sconce were made more clearly recognizable, reinforcing the character of the old fortress of Oudeschans. Nowadays Oudeschans is a quiet village with just more than hundred inhabitants. In 1991 the walls, canal, bastions, and several other buildings became state protected monuments. The Garrison Church was built in 1626, near the harbour, nowadays a lawn with trees (main image). In 1772 the church was moved and a presbytery was built against it on the north side. A small museum in the village reminds of the military past.

Hoog Buurlo is a agricultural enclave amidst heathland, woods and beech avenues. Field farming, keeping sheep and chopping oak (tannic acid from oak bark was used in the tannery) provided the necessary income. Hoog Buurlo is most probably the smallest hamlet of the Netherlands, with two former farmhouses, two sheepfolds, just a couple of residents and over a hundred sheep. The name (Hoog) Buurlo appears already in the 9th century and is a combination of "bur" (small house) and "lo" (forest). The hamlet is well known for its sheepfold and herd. It attracts many visitors, especially in spring when lambs are born.

Assel is a small hamlet with just more than ten houses. It also has a natural cemetery with a little chapel: Heilige Geest Kapel (Holy Ghost Chapel). This chapel was built in 1940 for the Catholics of Radio Kootwijk, because there was no church for them in the vicinity. The inhabitants raised money themselves and thus the church could be built on a piece of land that was donated. The rectangular brick chapel was built after a design by architect Jan van Dongen Jr., who was also the master builder of two other catholic churches in Apeldoorn. The chapel is part of the Westerwolde estate, which was founded by the Amsterdam lawyer W.J.M. Westerwoudt. The chapel is surrounded by hundreds of graves of the first natural cemetery of the Netherlands. Since 1955 the cemetery is open for not-relatives of the owners. The walled family cemetery (PiP 2) - on the tower side of the chapel - is separate from the natural cemetery. Five members of the Westerwoudt family are buried there. Nowadays every Sunday the Heilige Geest Kapel is till used for services for believers from the area and for people who have buried their families and acquaintances here. The chapel is also rented out for funeral services, weddings and even concerts.

The Stefanuskerk (St. Stephen's Church) is originally a catholic Romano-Gothic cruciform church, probably dating back to the end of the 13th century. The church belonged to the diocese of Münster (Germany). The church was originally dedicated to St. Stephen, but has been a reformed church since 1594. The current form of the NH church dates from 1586/1587. The crucifix was demolished, the building was lowered 5½ meters and a choir was added. During the World War II, the church suffered a lot of damage as a result of shootings. The church has been restored many times, the latest was in 2002. The tower stands separated from church. It was built in 1820/1822 after San Giorgio’s bell tower in Venice. The present tower replaces an old lower wooden one from 1663. The brick tower is built on 96 piles with a length between 5½ and 8½ meters. The height of the tower is more than 50 meters, nowadays serving as a lookout for visitors. Unlike almost all churches in the Netherlands it has a horse instead of a rooster on its spire. In the past the local fire brigade used the tower for drying the fire hoses.

Neokastro (also called Niokastro or New Navarino) is a fortress built on a hill above the town of Pylos. It was built in 1573 by the Turks, who kept it under their control for more than a century. The construction of the fortification started immediately after the defeat of the Ottoman fleet in the Naval Battle of Lepanto in 1571. The Ottoman dominance was followed by Venetian rule (1686-1715). The final liberation came with the Greek War of Independence in 1821. Neokastro was built in order to guard and protect the southern entrance of the Bay of Navarino and defend the port and the region. The castle was highly developed and equipped compared to the old castle, intending to fully exploit the cannons, while simultaneously ensuring the greatest possible protection of the inner settlement and the fortification itself from hostile fires. The robust fortress is considered being one of the best preserved castles in Greece. An abundance of architectural elements and the buildings themselves that are enclosed in its walls. Among others it features structures added during Venetian rule, traces of the 1821 Greek War of Independence and reminders of its use as a prison during World War II. The church of the Transfiguration of Christ was constructed in the 16th century as a mosque, but served as a church both during Venetian rule of the city and then again since independence. The acropolis of the castle has six walled sides and ramparts, offering a magnificent panorama of the Navarino Bay. Nowadays the complex houses Pylos' impressive archaeological museum in the former General Maison barrack and interesting displays on underwater archaeology.

Hunebedden (megalithic tombs) are the oldest monuments in the Netherlands. They were built more than 5.000 years ago in the last phase of the Stone Age by people of the Funnel Beaker Culture, who buried their dead in these hunebedden . They were built from the erratic boulders pushed here by the ice sheets during the Ice Ages. Hunebed G1 is the only one still standing in the province of Groningen (one other is exhibited in a museum). G1 is the most northerly hunebed on the Hondsrug (a complex of several ridges formed by the land ice at the end of the Saale glaciation, 370.000 to 130.000 years ago). Officially known as G1, the hunebed is colloquially known as Hunebed ’t Heiveen . The first written record dates from 1694. It was excavated in 1957. The tomb is no longer complete and nowadays has only one keystone, four uprights and two lintels remain. The most striking lintel is enormous (PiP1) - obviously far too large for the stone robbers. Although G1 is not complete any longer, by carefully marking with cement the position of the missing six uprights (PiP2), the one keystone and the two portal stones, which gives a good impression of the original size. Next to the tomb stands a large stone (PiP3) which was possibly once part of it.

Kasteel Nijenbeek - a defensive castle on the banks of the river IJssel - was first mentioned in 1266 as castle De Nijenbeke . At that time it was inhabited by knight Theodericus, also called Dirk, Lord of Nijenbeek. Its location on the banks of the river IJssel was very strategic, assuring control over the traffic on the river. Over the centuries a lot has changed to the castle. The many different owners adapted the building to their own wishes and use. For example, it was used as a defensive castle and as the home of both owners and tenant farmers. Later in the 18th century De Nijenbeek fell into disrepair, because the owners lived somewhere else and rented out the castle. In 1945 - at the end of World War II - Kasteel Nijenbeek was shelled from the eastern bank of the river IJssel by Canadian troops because it was used by the Germans as a lookout post. During the shelling, the tower of the castle lost its 19th century pyramid roof. Another part built in the 16th century was also completely wiped out. Afterwards, a temporary roof was installed, pending the restoration of the castle. Due to rotting this roof collapsed a long time ago and the castle became more and more a ruin. In 2015 the ruin was consolidated by a major restoration. The (consolidated) square tower is nowadays the only remaining part of the castle. Kasteel Nijenbeek - belonging to estate De Poll - has VERY limited opening hours. Ordinarily the ruin only can be viewed from a distance.

The historically most important church in the area is the parish church of Santa Maria Maggiore in Pontebba. The little chapel - most probably from the 12th century – was rebuilt in gothic styli in 1504 by architect Johann Komauer. A number of changes and additions had been made over the years. The present church - originally San Antonio Chapel - was built in 1697. The highlight of the church is its famous ‘Flügelaltar’ (winged altarpiece). This wonderful wooden altar dates back till 1517, with carved, painted and gilded parts. The altar reproduces the incoronation of the Virgin Mary in the central scene and on the side doors at the front, evangelic scenes. The winged altarpiece has a height of 7,50 meters.

Hunebedden (megalithic tombs) are the oldest monuments in the Netherlands. They were built more than 5.000 years ago in the last phase of the Stone Age by people of the Funnel Beaker Culture, who buried their dead in these hunebedden . The stones of which the dolmens are built are originating from Scandinavia. They were carried south by the advancing land ice during an ice age. When the ice melted at the end of the ice age, the stones that were carried along were left behind. Hunebed D15 is located nearby the village of Loon. It has all it takes to be a complete hunebed . Five pairs of upright stones support five capstones and together they form a chamber. The chamber is closed off by two more large stones, one at either end. Halfway along one of the long sides is the entrance. Two pairs of portal stones flank a short passage providing access to the tomb. The passage was originally covered with two capstones, one of which has survived. The portal stones are connected to a ring a stones, known as “kerb”. Those stones surrounding the hunebed once marked the periphery of a barrow that covered the tomb. There are still 18 of the 23 still remaining, which is unusual because in the past these stones were usually the first to be stolen. The barrow was dug away shortly after 1870, with intention to restore the honeyed to its original state. In those days it was assumes that the mound of earth did not form part of the tomb. The hunebedden in the province of Drenthe all have the same basic design. Nowadays most of them don’t have portal stones of a kerb. Hunebed D15 is one of the few including all the possible elements.

De Helper is a polder mill on the east bank of the Paterswoldsemeer . The mill was built in 1863 south of the city of Groningen for the drainage of the Helpman polder using a screw pump. In the sixties of the 20th century the mill became permanently out of use and fell into disrepair. Because of the expansion of the city of Groningen and the construction of the A28 motorway in 1969 De Helper was demolished at its original location. In 1971 the mill was rebuilt on its present location on the banks of the Paterswoldsemeer . The mill is in operation on a voluntary basis.

San Lorenzo (or officially Villa San Lorenzo) is an enchanting green village located in the Lerma Valley at the foor of the mountains of Salta. It’s a tranquil village with a relaxed atmosphere about 10 kilometers away from the colonial city of Salta , which is easily accessible by car or bus. It has a small center; don’t know if it is the same as during our visit, but you can get an impression in PiP1. Many inhabitants of Salta have built their (weekend) houses or mansions in this green enchanting suburb with its unusual subtropical micro climate. San Lorenzo has typical leafy roads lined with impressive trees. See main image and PiP2. The Quebrada de San Lorenzo (PiP3) is located just outside the village. This gorge offers walks through a green landscape with a crystal clear river and lush vegetation in a mountainside Yungas forest (a mix of mountain jungle and Andean forests).