Jaap van 't Veen's photos

Autumn along the 'Apeldoorn - Dierens Kanaal' nearby Oosterhuizen. This is the second part of the 'Apeldoorns Kanaal', a waterway from Hattem in the north to Dieren in the south. After arriving of King Willem I digging of the northern part started in 1825. Plans for the southern part between Apeldoorn and Dieren came into execution and digging began. Ten years later the canal was officially opened. In 1972 the canal was closed for shipping traffic; nowadays you only may see a canoe, rowing boat or pedal boat in the canal. More information about the Apeldoorns Kanaal (Dutch)l: www.apeldoornskanaal.com

The Grote Kerk (Big Church) or Onze-Lieve-Vrouwe-Kerk (Our Dear Lady Church) was built between 1285 and 1470 in Brabantine Gothic style. This Protestant church is the largest and the second oldest church in the city. The dome-vault of the Big Church is the only one in the Netherlands fully made of stone. The impressive interior is well known for its choir stalls, chapels, pulpit and several other monuments. The tower of the church has a height of 65 meters and is never finished. Dordrecht's position in between rivers made the ground very wet and spongy and unable to support such a heavy structure. The tower started leaning over two meters, which is still visible. The tower is topped with four pointer clocks and a carillon with 67 bells, with its 52.000 kilos it is one of the largest in Europe.

The ‘Witte Watermolen’ (White Watermill) is a flour mill in ‘Park Sonsbeek’ along the ‘St. Jansbeek’. The current mill was built around the year of 1470 on the location of an older mill (Jammerloes Molen), commissioned by the Benedictine Abbey of St. Salvador in Prüm, owner of the land around the brook. Nowadays the ‘Witte Watermolen’ is the last remnant - and only functional one - of the ten watermills along the ‘St. Jansbeek’. Further upstream stands the ‘Begijnenmolen’, which is not used anymore, but houses the ‘Nederlands Watermuseum’. The ‘Witte Watermolen’ has been restored (1966-1967) and is equipped with three pairs of millstones two of which are used for grinding grain. A professional miller and volunteers are operating the mill several times a week. The mill has a shop, which sells flour and freshly made pancakes.

‘Huis Zypendaal’ is a manor - although the locals call it popularly a castle - located in the green outskirts of Arnhem in Park Zypendaal. The house is surrounded by woods and is situated on an isle in the Sint Jansbeek. ‘Huis Zypendaal’ was built in the years 1762-1764 for the wealthy family Brantsen - who were already living a large house in the city center - as a summer residence. The house was built just south of an older one, called ‘die Syp’ or ‘Sypendall’, which was demolished. Till 1926 Zypendaal was inhabited by ancestors of the first owner Hendrik Willem Brantsen. Since 1975 it houses the ‘Geldersch Landschap & Kasteelen Foundation’. ‘Huis Zypendaal’ is well known for its 18th century architecture and impressive period furniture. In the summer it has limited opening hours for visitors.

First signs of autumn in Park Sonsbeek. Park Sonsbeek is one of the most beautiful city parks in the Netherlands. It is one of the three parks penetrating the heart of the town from the north. It has a splendid variety in landscape. Forest and fields are combined with some of the most picturesque monumental places within Arnhem. Most probably the park is named after Anna van Sonsbeeck, who was owner - early 17th century - of one of the watermills along the Sint Jansbeek (flowing through the park) and Huis Sonsbeek. Others say that its name came from the Sint Jansbeek, in the middle ages named Sonte Johannesbeek and later bastardized to Sint Jansbeek.

Deventer, seen from 'De Worp', with the tower of the Great or Lebuïnuschurch (Grote of Lebuïnuskerk) behind the houses along the 'Welle'. Deventer is an old Dutch city, which was founded around the year of 768 by the English missionary Lebuinus, who built a wooden church on the east bank of the river IJssel. It became city rights in 956, after which fortifications were built around the city. The city grew to be a flourishing trade centre between 1000 and 1500, because of its harbour on the river Ijssel. Deventer joined the Hanseatic League.

Dutch wetland ‘jungle’ in the Biesbosch* National Park. Picture was taken along the so called ‘Griendmuseumpad’. During my visit completely lined with blooming Himalayan Balsam (PiP). The ‘Biesbosch National Park’ is a green maze of rivers, islands and a vast network of narrow and wide creeks. The park is one of largest and most valuable natural areas in the Netherlands. It’s also one of the few remaining fresh-water tidal areas in Europe. (*Biesbosch = 'forest of sedges' or 'rushwoods')

Dutch polder landscape in the Alblasserwaard with a couple of windmills. Picture taken along the Tiendweg nearby Streefkerk.

The ‘Arend Maartenszhof’ is (for me) the most beautiful almshouses in Dordrecht. It was founded in 1625 by Arend Maartenszoon - a wealthy inhabitant of the city - for poor women and widows of soldiers who died for their country. Thirty-eight cottages surround a courtyard with lots of flowers, ancient trees and a water well (see PiP) and are nowadays housing both men and women.

Five of the nineteen windmills in the so called Nederwaard. The famous mills at Kinderdijk were built between 1738 and 1740, to keep water out of the polder. It is the largest concentration of windmills in the Netherlands.

Strömsholms Slott is one of the royal palaces in Sweden. It is built on the site of a former fortress from the mid 16th century and is located on an islet in the Kolbäck river, nearby Lake Mälaren. Strömsholm Slottwas built in 1669-1674 for Queen Hedvid Eleonora and designed by architect Nicodemus Tessin the Elder. The baroque palace with its remarkable yellow colour has 18th century interiors and an important collection of Swedish paintings. The palace consists of a central building framed by four square corner towers and a central domed tower. About twenty estate buildings were erected at the same time as the palace.

Blooming heath at the ‘Kootwijkse Veld’, nearby Stroe, a settlement at the edge of the Veluwe.

Mother and child barbary macaque looking down to the city of Gibraltar.

The ‘Wedderborg’ has a history which is going back to the year of 1362, when the first house was built by Egge Addinga. It has 14th, 15th, and 16th-century elements and became its present form in 1959. The castle became many owners and functions, the last restoration took place in 2010. Nowadays the castle houses a hotel and restaurant.

Puddle of rain water, completely covered by green common duckweed (??). Took this picture along the Wieselseweg in the ‘Kroondomein Het Loo’ (Royal Domain Het Loo) nearby the so called ‘Kathedraaal’; an artwork of 40 bronze tree-stumps.

Anundshög is Sweden’s largest burial mound. It is 9 metres high with a diameter of 64 metres. It dates from the 6th to 8th century AD. The mound is built on a foundation of clay on which the dead were cremated. The remains were then covered with a mound of stones, which was covered by turf and earth. Many people were involved in the work of building Sweden’s largest burial mound. Anundshög offers further 11 burial mounds and 10 round stone settings. They vary in size between 6 and 30 metres in diameter. These graves were probably raised over members of different generations of the same family. On the grounds is one runestone (PiP), dedicated to Folkvid, a powerful man in the area at the beginning of the 11th century. He paid for the impressive rune stone to tell the world about his son and himself.

Plaza de España - the main square - with a colourful tiled fountain, featuring four frogs. The square is dating back to 16th century, when the town grew beyond its walls. During the 16th and 17th centuries, it was used for watching bull fights. In 1957 the fountain was built in the centre of the square, made of hand painted Sevillian tiles. Since then this square is popularly known as ‘Plaza de los Pescaítos’.

Enköping is one of Sweden´s most famous park and garden cities. It offers more than twenty centrally located parks and gardens. One of the most famous ones is Drömparken (Dream park), a unique perennial park with more than 200 different prennials and ornamental grasses. The park is designed and created by the Dutch garden architect Piet Oudolf using nature as inspiration. Drömparken was laid out in 1996 and enlarged in the year of 2002.