Jaap van 't Veen's photos with the keyword: UNESCO World Heritage site

After Napoleon was defeated in 1815 Willem I became king of the United Kingdom of the Netherlands (Netherlands and Belgium). High unemployment and poverty are a major problem in the new country. In the cities and rural areas, there is widespread begging: in 1818, nearly one third of the population lives from charity. The creation of the Maatschappij van Weldadigheid (Society of Benevolence) is prepared. The driving force is general Johannes van den Bosch; other promoters are high officials and the noble elite of the country. Thousands of people across the country and the government itself contribute. The central idea is: we will pay for land and housing; the poor will work to provide for their own maintenance. Eventually the poor would be able to repay their debt to the state, thanks to (agricultural) surpluses. First, the trial colony Frederiksoord is established. By the end of 1818, 52 little colony houses are ready to receive the poor townspeople. Here they can count on work and shelter. Children are forced to attend school and there is a private health insurance fund. Churches, shops, schools and even rest homes were built. With these social facilities, the Maatschappij van Weldadigheid is 80 years ahead of the rest of the Netherlands and is therefore considered the cradle of the Dutch welfare state. In addition to an interesting museum - focusing on the history of the colony - Frederiksoord still offers about 50 original buildings from the time of the colony's foundation. Since 26th of July 2021 Frederiksoord is a UNESCO World Heritage site.

The Perito Moreno Glacier (Glaciar Perito Moreno) was formed during the last ice age, which means it is about 18.000 years old. The glacier is located within the Los Glaciares National Park and is one of the 48 glaciers of the Southern Patagonian Ice Field, the world’s third largest reserve of fresh water. Perito Moreno ends in a fjord, where the ice is up to 60 or 70 metres above the level of Lago Argentino (two-thirds are still below the water level and cannot be seen) and it is 5 km wide. Despite climate change Perito Moreno is one of the few glaciers in the world that still grows, one or two metres a day. From time to time the glacier’s front ice tongue moves forward and joins the shore of Peninsula de Magallanes, creating a massive ice dam. This natural dam makes a part of Lago Argentino raise its level, causing a huge amount of pressure. Finally - this can takes some years - the water pressure is getting too high and the enormous wall of ice falls apart, causing one of the most overwhelming natural phenomenon that can be seen. (It happened just a couple of months after our visit in 2005. The last rupture of Perito Moreno was in March 2018. You even can see the difference between the water level of the two parts of the lake.) The glacier is named after Francisco Moreno, an Argentinean explorer who explored this area in the 19th century and managed to keep it out of Chilean hands. The Los Glaciares National Park, of which Perito Moreno Glacier is a part, was declared a UNESCO World Heritage site in 1981. The glacier is accessible from El Calafate in Patagonia. Peninsula de Magallanes has several platforms, which make it possible to get close to the glacier. It is also possible to sail along the glacier by boat.