Jaap van 't Veen's photos

Oldengaerde is a so called havezate - manor or fortified house - and the original building dates back to 1420. It was built by Reynolt van Echten and inhabited by the Van Echten family till 1660. That year it was sold to its son in law Cornelis van Dongen. In 1717 his son completely renovated Oldengaerde; the front became an extra floor and the current remarkable classicist façade. The garden was also constructed in a classicist French garden style. In 1808 ‘Havezate Oldengaerde’ was purchased by Aalt Willem van Holthe; the house kept in the possession of this family for many years. During the 19th century new renovations took place, the major one was the lowering of the roof timber and the replacement of the gable by a pediment. The owners of Oldengaerde - four daughters of Mrs. Willinge-Westra van Holthe - decided at the end of 2013 to hand over the management of the ‘havezate’ to ‘Het Drentse Landschap’, a provincial foundation for preservation of nature and cultural heritage.

At the end of the last Ice Age - about 10 000 years ago - an expansive area of peat bogs covered a big piece of the provinces of Drenthe, Friesland and even a piece of Germany. From the late Middle Ages of, the peat was excavated and transported with ships to the cities in the western part of the Netherlands and was used as heating on a small scale. Large-scale land clearance for agriculture between 1600 and 1900 fundamentally changed the character of the region. The rugged peat moor of Fochteloërveen (3.000 ha) and a few smaller cores was all that was left. The peat degraded and turned into earth after the peat bog was drained for tree-planting and farming. Like all Dutch peat areas the quality of the habitats, especially of active raised bog, was impoverished severely during the last decades. Now the raised bog area is one of the few bogs in the Netherlands where living peat can be found and it is even growing again. Since 1999 the hydrological conditions of the most species rich peat area of the peat bog were improved by an ingenious system of dams. It was a great surprise that, starting in 2001, cranes were breeding in this area. They were the first breeding cranes in the Netherlands since the 18th century. Nowadays also the number of non-breeding cranes in summer is increasing. The nature reserve has a couple of walking and cycling paths and a lookout tower with breathtaking views over the area. It is owned and managed by Natuurmonumenten , a Dutch society for nature conservation.

Huize Dickninge (Manor Dickninge) is located in a beautiful region around De Wijk with lots of manors and estates. Its history is dating back to the late Middle Ages; in the year of 1325 the Benedictine monastery ‘Soetendale’ moved from Ruinen to Dickninge. It was inhabited by monks and nuns till 1652. In 1796 the buildings were bought by Reint Hendrik de Vos van Steenwijk. After a demolition Manor Dickninge was rebuild in 1913 in an Empire-style. The garden is dating back to 1820.and is famous for the - quite rare - blooming Hollowroot in spring (see: www.ipernity.com/doc/294067/41492970/in/album/537905) .

De Zaandplatte is a windmill in a hamlet called Engeland , just outside the village of Ruinen and nearby National Park Dwingelderveld . Its name is derived from its current location, a former piece of ferocious land with the name De Zaandplatte . It is a thatched, octagonal wooden ‘belt mill’ ( belt is a man made elevation) dating from 1964. Although originally the mill - dating back to the end of the 18th century - stood in the village of Echten and was in a bad state of dilapidation. It was demolished in 1962 and rebuilt and put back in operation about 9 km’s away on its current location. In the past Ruinen had thirteen windmills, De Zaandplatte is the only remaining one. Initially the rebuilt mill was used as a holiday home. After the restoration at the end of the 20th century the ownership of the mill was transferred by the municipality to a foundation Vrienden van de Ruiner Molen . Since then the mill is grinding again and is running on a voluntary basis. In 2007 De Zaandplatte was chosen as the most beautiful mill of the province of Drenthe. Although with limited hours, the mill is open for visitors.

The Dutch Reformed Church Sint Nicolaaskerk is located in the centre of the village of Dwingeloo. The brick, gothic, hall church was built around the year of 1410 on the site of an older church from the 12th century with a free standing tower. The church is very similar to other Gothic village churches in the province of Drenthe, consisting of a one-aisled nave with a narrower choir and a tower decorated with niches. The Sint Nicolaaskerk has a remarkable onion-shaped tower, which gives the church its nickname De Siepel (meaning ‘onion’ in the local dialect). After a huge fire in 1923 the original spire was replaced by a slightly less tender copy. It is still the beacon of Dwingeloo and is visible from a great distance.

In 1818 things were not going very well in the Kingdom of the Netherlands, consisting of the current countries Netherlands, Belgium and Luxembourg. The kingdom had fought and lost several wars and trade was not at the levels it used to be. There was widespread poverty, particulary in the cities. Government and churches failed to solve the problems, so a group of people from more prosperous circles, under the leadership of a former army officer, set up an organisation in order to combat poverty: De Maatschappij van Weldadigheid (the Society of Benevolence. Orphans, handicapped people, beggars, prostitutes, vagrants and others living in poverty did get a new change by working in a reform housing colony. The first one Frederiksoord was built in 1818. Families were given homes and a piece of land. Men grew their own crops on the land and women spinned yarn. Everything they received was in the form of a loan, which they repaid through work. After a couple of ‘free’ colonies for the poor, the Society also set up unfree colonies for beggars, vagrants and orphans who did not wish to move to the countryside of their own free will. The residents were referred to as ‘patients’, but as a matter of fact they were prisoners.. Veenhuizen - built in 1823 - was the second ‘unfree’ settlement in the Netherlands. The settlement grew and grew and became a large institution. It was run differently and the the ‘patients’ were constantly monitored by guards. The settlement was built on reclaimed peatland. ‘Patients’ were on a tightly controlled daily schedule and work was a form of therapy. Compulsory attendance at a place of worship was also mandatory, no matter where - a catholic or protestant church or a synagoge. In the 20th century the unfree colony inVeenhuizen was converted into an official prison. The colony still serves as a penal establishment with two prisons. One of the former buildings (main picture and PiP’s) nowadays houses the National Prison Museum. The museum also shows what life in the colony of Veenhuizen was like.

Dwingelderveld is one of the about twenty national parks in the Netherlands and is the largest European wet heathland area. The national park - 3.700 hectares - has more than sixty fens and peat swamps featuring a rich and unique flora and fauna. The gently rolling moors and shifting sands are habitat of many kinds of species of butterflies and birds. The northern part has been wooded with pine forests and juniper shrubs since the mid 19th century. The national park is crossed by many hiking and biking trails, marked and unmarked, paved and unpaved. Dwingelderveld is managed by the Dutch forestry Commission ( Staatsbosbeheer ) and the private Dutch society for nature conservation Natuurmonumenten . Since 1991 it is a national park and in 2013 the park was added to the List of Nature 2000, as part of the European Network of most valuable nature reserves of Europe. Main picture and PiP’s are all taken along the so called Commissaris Cramerpad . This path - about 4 km’s long between Spier and Kraloo - was chosen in 2017 as the most beautiful bike path of the province of Drenthe. Having been there I only can agree. See for more pictures of Dwingelderveld : www.ipernity.com/doc/294067/46540292

Dwingelderveld is one of the about twenty national parks in the Netherlands and is the largest European wet heathland area. The national park - 3.700 hectares - has more than sixty shallow lakes and moors featuring a rich and unique flora and fauna. The gently rolling moors are habitat of many kinds of species of butterflies and birds. The northern part has been wooded with pine forests and juniper shrubs since the mid 19th century. Dwingelderveld is managed the Dutch forestry Commission ( Staatsbosbeheer ) and the private Dutch society for nature conservation Natuurmonumenten . The main picture shows the recently built lookout tower nearby the Benderse sheepfold, offering unique views over the vast heathlands (PiP) of the national park. This sheepfold houses a flock of the famous ‘Drenthe heath sheep’. See for more pictures of Dwingelderveld : www.ipernity.com/doc/294067/46551468

Bruges (or Brugge in Dutch) is listed on the UNESCO World Heritage site and has one of the best preserved medieval city centres of the world with its bell tower, wide open market square, cobble stoned streets and brick archways and quaint bridges. Canals loop across the town like a string of pearls and did give the city its nickname: “Venice of the North”. For many years Bruges was more or less been known as a "dead city" for many years. The sanding of the harbour and the difficulties to dig canals in the sand caused heavy economical burdens on the city between the Middle Ages and the 20th century. But nowadays Bruges is a lively city and one of the most important tourist attractions in Belgium.

The beguinage in Turnhout was first mentioned in a document in the year of 1340; most probably lived and worked, as in other Brabant cities, Beguines before. In the 14th century the beguinage was situated at the former park around the castle of Turnhout. The oblong square of the beguinage was enlarged from the 14th century on the grounds of the castle into a small walled village. At its peak at the end of the 17th century 344 beguines lived in 86 houses. This was followed by various lows with fire disasters, looting, plague and other epidemics. Fortunately, the beautiful baroque beguinage church dating from 1662 - 1667, the chapel of the Holy Appearance and the restored Calvary Chapel remained unharmed. Once through the imposing gate building from 1700, you enter a hidden gem of this 'medieval' world with stylish houses, cobblestone streets and gardens. The beguinage has an interesting museum, located in the Sint-Jansconvent (17th century). This unique museum - opened in 1953, when still three beguines lived in the building - shows how the beguines lived and worked. The last beguine died in 2002. In 1998 the beguinage was ckassified as UNESCO World Heritage Site.

In the centre of Oudenbosch - not far away from the impressive basilica: www.ipernity.com/doc/294067/46381994 - is the Big Chapel of the former boys boarding school Instituut Saint Louis . This boarding school was led by the Congregation of the Brothers of Aloysius Gonzaga; better known as the Brothers of Saint Louis. The neo-baroque chapel - modelled after Italian model with some similarities with the Saint Peter in Rome - and its former boarding school complex were built in 1865-1866. The interior is richly decorated and still almost intact with a 30 metres high dome, realised in 1889 (due to the limited opening hours we couldn’t visit the interior of the chapel). In 2008, the Saint Louis Chapel was transferred to a foundation ( Stichting Behoud Cultureel Erfgoed Saint Louis for the preservation of this cultural heritage in Oudenbosch. This foundation wants to ensure that the chapel will be preserved and that it will accommodate social and cultural activities, like concerts and exhibitions. The rest of the institute's buildings are renovated and act as appartments, a senior home and a hotel

The Begijnhof (or officially Catharinabegijnhof Breda ) was first mentioned in 1267, but must have existed some time before that. The beguinage was moved to its current location in the centre of Breda around the year of 1535. In the 19th century, the court was expanded with a second courtyard and the single-nave St Catherine church. The walled complex of the beguinage consists of 29 houses around an herb garden with 300 different kinds of spices and lawn, which was used as bleachfield by the beguines. The last living beguine in the Netherlands - Cornelia Catherina Frijters - died in 1990. The Begijnhof has a small museum, where one gets insight into the living of the beguines. Nowadays the houses around the courtyard can be rented, but still only by single women.

Heusden is located on the river (Bergsche) Maas. The history of the town began around the year 1200 with the establishment of an urban settlement. During the Eighty Years’ War ( Tachtigjarige Oorlog : 1568-1648) against the political and religious hegemony of of Spain, massive fortifications - with earthwork ramparts with bastions, moats and ravelins - were built on the orders of Willem van Oranje . Heusden became an important garrison town with thousands of soldiers. Towards the end of the World War II Heusden was seriously damaged. The fortress has been fully restored since 1968. The restoration of the town was based on the 17th century drawings made by the famous Amsterdam cartographer Joan Blaeu. The city harbour of Heusden was built during the construction of the fortifications after 1580. In 1904 the inner harbour was filled in to create a city park, but in the 1970’s it was restored to its original form. Nowadays it is one of the picturesque corners of Heusen with a white drawbridge and a black postmill (one of three on the ramparts).

Cannenburgh Castle was built in 1543 by a famous Dutch figure, Marten van Rossem. He constructed a country house on the spot of a medieval castle. In the Middle Ages the village of Vaassen had a castle, called Kannenberg, but its not kwon when it was built. The first records date from 1365 and at that point in history, it was a leasehold estate belonging to the dukes of Guelders. The ruins of fortress were bought in 1543 by Marten van Rossem. He chose the style of the Dutch Renaissance for Cannenburgh Castle and built it on top of the remains of the old stronghold. However, he never managed to see the castle completed. Van Rossem died in 1555 and his nephew, Hendrik van Isendoorn, inherited the castle and it remained in the family for over three centuries. Over the years, the castle has been altered and extended many times and it became also a stone entrance bridge. Since the 1950’s Cannenburgh Castle and surrounding park are owned and managed by the ‘Stichting Geldersch Landschap en Geldersche Kasteelen’, a Dutch heritage foundation; castle and park are open for visitors.

The construction of the Grote Kerk or Onze-Lieve-Vrouwekerk (Church of Our Lady) started in 1410 and was completed around 1540. The church - covered with natural stone - is built in the Brabantine Gothic style. This is reflected in the gables, high windows and a large number of flying buttresses, as well as many details and decorations. The tower has a height of 97 metres and is one of the finest and richly decorated church towers in the Netherlands. Work on the tower started in 1468 and was finished 38 years later. In the past the church was far more furnished than today. Much was destroyed during the Iconoclastic Fury in 1566 and the occupation of the church by the Protestants. During the Eighty Years' War (1568 - 1648) the church changed various times between protestant and catholic use, to become finally protestant in 1637. The most important chapel in the church is the Prinsenkapel (PiP 2). This Prince Chapel is the old mausoleum of the House of Orange-Nassau. The chapel was built from 1520 until 1525 on orders of the Lord of Breda, Hendrik III van Nassau-Breda . Seventeen family members are buried in the chapel. The church building is free to visit and is nowadays mainly used for concerts, courses, symposia, fairs, fashion shows, school excursions and exhibitions. Nowadays there are about ten church services a year and also regular baptisms, weddings, memorial services and funerals. But the huge building is mainly used for concerts, courses, symposia, fairs, fashion shows, school excursions and exhibitions.

Oisterwijk is well known for its Bossen en Vennen , located south of the village. It is an area of 410 hectares with forests and dozens of fens. These fens were created during the last ice age by heavy southwestern winds, blowing sand away. The created bowls were later filled with rainwater. Because of loamy or primal (iron) layers, the water remained in the bowls, creating fens in a bare landscape. The forests around the pools have been planted since the nineteenth century. Most of the nature reserve is managed by Natuurmonumenten , a Dutch organisation founded in 1905 that buys, protects and manages nature reserves in the Netherlands. I took this pictures on a grey day at the Groot Aderven , one of the many fens.

The Basilica of Oudenbosch - officialy Basilica of H.H. Agatha and Barbara - is a Roman Catholic church in the village of Oudenbosch in the province of North Brabant. The initiative for building this church was taken by father Willem Hellemons (parish priest 1842 - 1884), who had a great devotion to the Pope and the city of Rome. He inspired his 3.500 parishoners that much that within months, he collected enough money to start building the church. Famous Dutch architect Dr. P. Cuijpers - responsible for the Rijksmuseum and Central Station in Amsterdam -designed a church with nave and interior modeled aftter St. Peters’ Basilica in Rome. With a length of 81 metres, a width of 55 metres and a highest point of the dome at 63 metres, the internal space of the basilica is 16 times smaller than that of Saint Peter’s. But it is still quite impressive, especially given its location in a rather small town. The façade - designed by Prof. G.J. van Swaay - is a copy of the front of the Basilica of St. John Lateran in Rome. Construction started in 1865 and was completed in 1892. In 1912 the church was elevated to the rank of ‘basilica’. The interior is richly decorated with frescoes and sculptures. Most paintings in the church were hand painted on site (also in the big dome) by local C. Raaymakers and most statues are made by Antwerp artist F. de Vriendt. A narrow staircase with more than 140 steps brings one to the dome - nearly 30 metres above the floor of the church - with amazing views into the basilica.

We were driving from Leonidio through the gorge of the river Dafnon, when after numerous bends suddenly the majestic Monastery of Panagia Elona appeared. It is situated on a kind of hanging balcony on a steep reddish coloured cliff of Mount Parnon at an altitude of 650 metres. The history of the monastery begins in the 14th century. Shepherds saw a light in an inaccessible part of the cliff. This light, according to the legend, emanated from an oil lamp lit in front of an icon of St. Panagia. The bishop commissioned two hermits from the area to settle at the site, where they then built a small monastery with two cells. The present monastery was built in the middle of the 17th century, but it looks considerably more modern; devastating raids and fires caused that entire parts of the monastery had to be rebuilt several times. Panagia Elona played an important role in Greek War of Independence of 1821, both with money and by gathering weapons and hiding the Greek independence fighters. At the beginning of 1900 the monastery was one of the richest monasteries of the Peloponnese. Since 1970 Panagia Elona is a nunnery; during our visit in 2017 just five nuns were still living there. The white buildings with their cells seem to be stuck against the multicoloured rock wall (PiP1). The current church was built in 1809 (PiP2). Outside it looks quite simple, but inside it is stunningly beautiful. We were welcomed by a very friendly monk, who turned out to be a kind of keeper for the elderly nuns. He showed us around and told a lot about the religious artworks, like the sculpted wood iconostasis (PiP3) and the several icons. Among them an icon of “Our Lady Elona” (PiP4), which is believed being Apostle Luke’s work (one of the 70 icons that he painted).