Jaap van 't Veen's photos with the keyword: reflections

The Hortus Botanicus in Haren is one of the oldest and largest botanical gardens in the Netherlands. It was founded in 1626 by the pharmacist and botanist Henricus Munting and was originally situated in the city of Groningen. Because of space considerations it relocated to its current location; from 1929 on a new botanical graden was created on that site and became the largest botanical garden in the country. At the Hortus, which covers about 20 acres, there are a large number of very different gardens. Among others the garden consists of an arboretum, pinetum, English garden, a water garden, a rock garden, bamboo garden, a grass garden, agricultural gardens, and Celtic gardens. Since 1995 it also has a walled Chinese Garden . The Hortus was part of the University of Groningen and until the 1980s’ played an important role in the teaching and research of biology especially. Since 2002 a foundation is managing the gardens. We visited the Hortus in late October, so there were almost no flowers to be seen. We just could make a walk along trees and shrubs in beautiful autumn colours.

Schiedam is home to the seven largest windmills in the world. Once there were more than 30 mills in the city. The majority of the so called ‘brandersmolens’ (malt mills) ground grain for the distilleries. To catch enough wind within the built-up area, and for greater storage and production capacity, the mills grew to be the tallest in the world. They have been joined in this century by two new mills, bringing the total number of malt mills to seven. These remaining ‘Giants of Schiedam’ are still characteristic of the city. De Kameel (The Camel) originally was built in 1715; about 30 metres east of where the rebuilt windmill along the river Schie nowadays is located. The mill served as a malt mill until the early morning of 20 March 1865. On that day the mill lost its rods, iron shaft and cap in a storm in a storm. After a partial repair the mill served as a steam sawmill for several years. Three years later the remains of De Kameel were demolished after a fire. Of all the mills the city has had and De Kameel was the most visible from the city centre. Rebuilding it in its original location was not feasible, as the turning basin in the river Schie was moved in 1960 to build a new access road with a bridge to the city centre. A site nearby was chosen, with the mill built halfway into the water of the Schie. After years of preparation, the Stichting De Schiedamse Molens started rebuilding the mill in November 2008. The mill measures about 30.5 meters to the top. This makes De Kameel the smallest of the existing or rebuilt Schiedam mills. Since Saturday 14 May 2011 - Dutch National Mills Day - the rebuilt mill officially has been grinding again.

Schiedam is home to the seven largest windmills in the world. Once there were more than 30 mills in the city. The majority of the so called 'brandersmolens' (malt mills) ground grain for the distilleries. To catch enough wind within the built-up area, and for greater storage and production capacity, the mills grew to be the tallest in the world. They have been joined in this century by two new mills, bringing the total number of malt mills to seven. These remaining ‘Giants of Schiedam’ are still characteristic of the city. Windmill De Palmboom (The Palm Tree) is dating back to the year of 1781. The mill was used as a malt mill for the distilleries in Schiedam. The windmill was destroyed by a fire in 1901 and after that only two floors were used as storage space. In 1993 a restoration and reconstruction started and the stage mill was renamed De Nieuwe Palmboom . Till 2018 it was used as a mill museum. It got back its original name and nowadays functions as office space and houses a documentation center. The windmill in the background is ‘De Noord’ - one of the highest windmills in the world - nowadays housing a restaurant.

Schiedam was founded in 1230 when the local river the “Schie”, had a dam built on it to protect the existing polders from the North Sea. The dam brought much trade to the area, due to goods being brought to, or transported from the area, to other Dutch towns. The village quickly grew and in 1275 the village received city rights. Large parts of Schiedam were destroyed by fire in the year 1428, due to most of the buildings being made of wood. But the city was rebuilt and again, flourished. During the 1700’s the production of jenever (gin) started. Soon there were many distilleries in Schiedam. From dozens of distilleries the jenever was traded to many parts of the world and brought great wealth to the city. The gin industry gave the city its nickname 'Black Nazareth'. Schiedam is known for its historical center with picturesque canals, lined with former warehouses, distilleries and the tallest windmills in the world.

Schiedam was founded in 1230 when the local river the “Schie”, had a dam built on it to protect the existing polders from the North Sea. The dam brought much trade to the area, due to goods being brought to, or transported from the area, to other Dutch towns. The village quickly grew and in 1275 the village received city rights. Large parts of Schiedam were destroyed by fire in the year 1428, due to most of the buildings being made of wood. But the city was rebuilt and again, flourished. During the 1700’s the production of jenever (gin) started. Soon there were many distilleries in Schiedam. From dozens of distilleries the jenever was traded to many parts of the world and brought great wealth to the city. The gin industry gave the city its nickname 'Black Nazareth'. Schiedam is known for its historical center with picturesque canals, lined with former warehouses, distilleries and the tallest windmills in the world.

Search and find the benches !! Elfbergen is with 175 hectares the largest forest in Gaasterland. It is one of the forests that Esq Van Swinderen has laid out in the 19th century. The forest has coniferous and broad-leaved types of wood of all ages. In 1925 it came into possession of the municipality of Gaasterland, who sold it in 1976 to Staatsbosbeheer (a Dutch government organisation for forestry and the management of nature reserves). During the crisis years of the 20th century, a labour camp for young unemployed people called Werkkamp Elfbergen was established on this site. The large pond in Elfbergen with a wooden bridge was one of the works these young people carried out between 1935 and 1937. It took a total of 9,000 man-days to excavate the pond. The pond is 110 meters long and 45 meters wide, with a narrowing in the middle over which a bridge has been built.

Amersfoort is an old medieval city. Around 1300 a first city wall was constructed. When the city grew strongly in the 14th century, more land was needed and between 1380 and 1450 a wider, second city wall and city canals were built. In particular, the Langegracht (see PiP2 and 3) and the Havik (main picture and PiP1) cross the city centre. Around the Havik, the medieval harbour used to be located. The name Havik can therefore be translated as Havenwijk (Harbour area). The oldest mention is from 1390. Nowadays, it is a neighbourhood with beautiful façades and monuments. One of them is the Havikbrug , which dates from the year 1642. The bridge is popularly called Heksenbrug (Witches’Bridge). The bridge owes its name to a story that tells that at this spot, women suspected of witchcraft had to proof if they were a witch or not.

The Koppelpoort is a medieval gate - part of the second city wall of Amersfoort - which was built between 1380 and 1425. It combines a land and water-gate, which is unique in the Netherlands. The gate was attacked in 1427 during the siege of the city, but was repelled. The name Koppelpoort refers to an area outside the gate, which was called De Koppel . Travellers could be allowed or refused to enter through this combined gate, even if they were travelling over water. In addition, the water levels in the inner city could be regulated with it. In the past, the city gate had to be opened and closed daily to protect the city. The gate could be set in motion by means of a treadmill. This task was performed by twelve prisoners, who were called the raddraaiers (wheel turners). The men had to walk in a large wooden wheel at the same pace to get the gate moving. It was not a harmless job; when one man got out of step, he ran the risk of falling and dragging the rest of the wheel turners. In the front of the gate a wooden extension is visible, the so-called mezenkouw (tit cage). From this cage, attackers could be harassed with hot oil or malt when they came too close to the water gate. The Koppelpoort did get its current appearance during the restoration by well known Dutch architect Pierre Cuypers in 1885 and 1886. The latest restoration was completed in 1996. Nowadays the Koppelpoort is one of the eye catchers of Amersfoort.

Park Zypendaal (also called "Zijpendaal") is a city park on the north side of Arnhem. The park is situated on a lateral moraine that was pushed up by glaciers in the penultimate ice age (about 150 million years ago) at the southern edge of the Veluwe. As a result, there are quite large height differences for the Netherlands. The park is named after the water that “sijpelt” (seeps) from the ground in some places. The Sint Jansbeek has its source in the park and flows via ponds and waterfalls 35 metres lower into the river Rhine. Park Zypendaal is designed by landscape architect Eduard Petzold and dates from 1864. The park is sloping and wooded with pine and deciduous trees and meadows in the north. Huis Zypendaal - a beautiful 18th century country estate - is situated in the park.

Landgoed De Braak (De Braak Estate) already existed around 1700. Lieutenant E.F. ter Voet van Schelfhorst was then the owner, who was married to Miss Von Braake. Probably the estate was named after her; another possibility is that the name was derived from "broek" = low marshy land. The original country house De Braeke stood between two ponds. The house became uninhabited and was demolished in 1896. Parts of the mansion were used in 1916 for the renovation of the current house of the caretaker of the area (PiP4). De Braak now consists of a monumental park forest with ponds, imposing - often centuries-old – trees, rhododendron bushes and meadows. The well-known garden architect Roodbaard designed the park in 1825. The park also offers a berceau and a maze of hornbeams. The estate is known for its flowering spring plants, such as snowdrops, wood anemones and daffodils. Since 1920 De Braak has been owned by Natuurmonumenten , a society for preservation of nature monuments in the Netherlands. The estate is freely accessible.

The Watermolen Hackfort is located on the estate Hackfort , close to the castle of the same name. The mill was first mentioned in the year 1442, while the current square stone building was built around 1700. The mill is equipped with a water wheel with blades and is powered by water from the Hackfortse Beek. The water wheel drives millstones to grind grain. The water mill also supplies electricity to the electricity network. In 1952 the mill was shut down because of the poor condition of the wheel and building. At that time the stream also contained too little water to power the mill. In 1981, the estate (with castle and mill) passed into the hands of the Natuurmonumenten and was refurbished. After the water board had ensured that sufficient water flowed through the Hackfortse Beek, a new water wheel was installed in 1998. Since that moment the mill has been in use. Volunteer millers are sawing wood and grinding grain for cattle feed on hydropower. On Saturdays and on special occasions the mill is open to visitors.

Sigmaringen Castle ( Schloss Sigmaringen or Hohenzollernschloss ) is standing on a cliff high above the city and the Danube. Originally built as a fortress it has been transformed into a residential palace. With its 450 rooms it is Germany’s second largest palece. The original fortress at Sigmaringen was first mentioned in 1077, but the earliest construction, still visible today, dates back to the 12th century. The oldest parts of the original castle and fortress are hidden beneath the alterations and rebuilding that took place between the 17th and 19th century. Sigmaringen Castle was almost completely destroyed by a devastating fire in 1893 and had to be rebuilt. Destructions and constructions continued to take place up until 1902. Sigmaringen Castle has been the home of the Swabian branch of the Hohenzollern family since 1535. For hundreds of years the European aristocracy met at the castle and the family of Hohenzollern still owns the castle today. The palace can be visited by a guided tour. (We did not visit the castle, but only looked at the exterior from two points. First from a hill with the Josefskapelle – PiP3 - and later from the bank of the Danube - main picture and PiP 1 and 2.)

The Blautopf (Blau= Blue / topf=pot) is considered being Germany’s most beautiful karst spring. It is famous for its strikingly beautiful water colour, which is the result of the reflection of the light. All long-wave colours are absorbed, whereas the short-wave blue is reflected and thus becomes visible. This ‘Blue Pot’ is the spring of the river Blau, which flows after almost 15 km in the Danube in the city of Ulm. Because of its high water pressure, the spring has developed a funnel-like shape, which at its deepest point has a depth of 22 meters. Every now and then, the spring ‘boils over’, gushing out 32.000 liters/second, much more than the average of 2.300 liters/second. At the Blautopf is a hammermill, which is fed by the water of the spring. The church belongs to the former Benedictine monastery in Blaubeuren.

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 monumental rock formations of the Externsteine are considered being one of the most remarkable and impressive natural and cultural monuments in Germany, if not in Europe. The sandstone pillars are situated in the Lippe region and are part of the Teutoburgerwald, at the edge of the Wiembecke pond. Millions of years ago, these originally horizontal layers of rock were shifted into a vertical position and presumably owe their current form to the action of water over millions of years and the friction of ice during the Ice Age. The pillars rise up to a height of 38 metres. It has an observation platform with stairway dating back to the 19th century. The Externsteine - with a medieval sacral site in the midst of bizarre rock formations - have always fascinated people. The people who lived in this area in the Middle Ages appear to have established a place of Christian worship, with a grotto, a grave and a relief showing biblical scenes. It is no surprise that these rocks have inspired numerous folk legends. For instance it is thought that the site was possibly used for astronomical observation, worship and sacrifice. And that the site may have been connected, in some way, with the Irminsul aspect of Teutonic paganism. Legends or not, it did not stop the Nazi party in the 1930’s labeling the site as a sacred grove at which the ancestors could be honored. Heinrich Himmler presided over the foundation created to mythologize the site. Over the centuries the Externsteine underwent many alterations. It passed from the hands of the church in to those of the local nobility. Under their ownership it became a sometime fortress and prison. In the 16th century it was a hunting lodge. There was even one time in the 18th century when it became a pleasure palace. Yet it was restored as close to its medieval Christian incarnation as possible in the 1800’s.

Gram Castle is one of the most monumental buildings in southern Jutland. The stately building with three wings opens its courtyard to the main road and bids a warm welcome to local residents as well as tourists. Gram Castle was first mentioned in 1231, when it was a mansion with 3-4 farms owned by King Valdemar. The castle consists of three wings, starting in 1470 and built over three centuries: 15th, 16th and the 17th. This means it has architectonic features from the Middle Ages, the Renaissance and the Baroque !! In the Middle Ages Gram Castle was an important castle, due to the fact that the main road between Haderslev and Ribe crossed over Gram Å (the stream), so it was possible to collect tolls from all the travellers and merchants passing through with their goods. It is the largest Middle Age building in Denmark outside Copenhagen

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.

Heiligenhafen, a small city located along the Baltic Sea, has a modern marina with 1.000 moorings. The marina is located at the open part of a bight close to the city centre and the Graswarder Nature Reserve. It is considered being one of the most beautiful wharfs of the Baltic Sea.