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

De Zwaluw (The Swallow) is a so called smock mill. The current mill is located nearby the hamlet Oudemolen - less than 30 houses and about 75 inhabitants - since 1837. It replaced a post mill which itself had replaced a watermill on the Drentsche Aa river. De Zwaluw is a three-storey smock mill on a single-storey brick base. There is no stage, the sails reaching almost to the ground. The smock and cap are thatched. The mill is winded by a tailpole and winch. From 1876 til 1947 the mill was owned by the Greving brothers, who lived in a small cottage near the mill. They milled for the bakers in the area and for the farmers who fed their cattle plenty of grain. The mill was out if use in 1970, but since 1980, the municipality of Tynaarlo is owner of the mill and after that it was subsequently thoroughly restored. Nowadays De Zwaluw has had a group of volunteer millers to run the mill (in principle the mill is open for the public on Saturdays). The mill is listed as a national Dutch monument.

The Zaanse Schans is a residential neighbourhood in which the 18th and 19th centuries are brought to life. It is best known for its collection of well-preserved historic houses and windmills. The Zaanse Schans is a unique and one of the most visited places in the Netherlands, with green wooden houses, windmills, barns and typical Dutch crafts. From 1961 to 1974 old buildings from all over the region were relocated using lowboy trailers to the area. Zaanse Schans derived its name from the river Zaan and its original function as sconce (“schans” in Dutch) against the Spanish troops during the Eighty Years' War. The area around the Zaanse Schans , called the Zaanstreek , once was the largest industrial zone in Western Europe. During the 18th and 19th century heyday it used to have more than 600 windmills; 245 were sawing mills and 160 oil mills. Built for industrial functions, they were used for grinding grain, making wood for shipbuilding, pressing oil from seeds, makling paper from hemp and a lot of cocoa was also produced in the Zaan region. Starting in the 1960’s, these historical mills and other threatened and antique buildings were moved to the Zaanse Schans to create a collection and to preserve them. Nowadays there are 12 windmills on the <and four more in the vicinity. Most of the mills were moved in the last century, some stood already at their current location along the river Zaan and some have been completely rebuilt according to the original plans. Most of the mills are owned by the Vereniging de Zaansche Molen , which is also responsible for the maintenance and operation of the mills. Seven fully operative windmills and the Molenmuseum (Mill Museum) can be visited.

The oldest written mention of the Oostendorper watermolen (Oostendorp watermill) - a corn and oil mill on the Buurserbeek - is found in a deed from 1487. The mill was then located about 1 km downstream. In 1547-1548, the double mill was rebuilt at its current location. It also received its current name then, which comes from Johan ten Oostendorp who was the miller in 1547. During the Eighty Years' War (1566 - 1648), the water mill was destroyed. In 1633, Willem Ripperda tot Weldam received permission to build the Oostendorper mill on the current site. Two years later, the mills were back in operation. During the next two centuries, they passed from one owner to another several times, by inheritance or by sale. In 1946, a flood of water washed away the oil mill; it had been rebuilt four years later. In the late 1980s, the Oostendorper watermolen was thoroughly restored and made millable again. Volunteer millers regularly grind grain and crush oil. The municipality of Haaksbergen owns the mill. It is the oldest double water mill in the Netherlands.

Paleis Het Loo (Het LooPalace) was built in 1686 for Stadtholder William III and his wife queen Mary. It was used for almost 300 years as a (summer) palace by members of the Dutch Royal family. Queen Wilhelmina lived here till the year of 1972. After a huge restoration palace and gardens are back in their original state. Since the year of 1984 Paleis Het Loo is a national museum and open for public. In 2018 (again) major restoration work was necessary to ensure that the collection and the palace remain in good condition. Inside the palace was refurbished and outside the forecourt fully changed: instead of grass and a fountain there is now a wonderful water bassin, reflecting the palace. Surely the most striking thing is the expansion of the exhibition spaces underneath the new forecourt. One of them now houses the permanent presentation about the House of Orange-Nassau from Prince Willen van Oranje (1533 - 1584) till the present heir Princess Amalia (born 2003). This underground expansion of 5.000 m2 was officially opened April 2023.

In 1664 the Frisian Nassau’s bought some heathland east of Heerenveen known as ‘t Wold . The ‘village’ became its name Oranjewoud (Orange Forest - Orange is the colour of the Dutch royal family) in the year of 1676, when Albertina Agnes, Prinses van Oranje Nassau, after the death of her husband Willem Frederik van Nassau - Stadtholder of Frisia - bought an existing country estate. Early 18th century her daughter-in-law Henriëtte Amalia van Anhalt-Dessau modernized the manor by (landscape) architect Marot (well known for the construction of Palace Het Loo nearby Apeldoorn). Marot designed two new wings for Oranjewoud, but the central building was never built. The architect also planned the gardens and park around the manor. During the French occupation, both wings were demolished and the property was sold. Two estates were built where the Stadtholder's country house had once stood: Oranjewoud at the site of the old castle and Oranjestein where the home of the estate manager had lived. Various generations of the Oranje-Nassau family spent their summer at Oranjewoud. It remained in the possession of the Oranje-Nassau family for a long time. The last time a family member showed up was in 1791. Not long after, the summer residence was demolished. In 1823, the jonkheer De Blocq van Scheltinga bought the land and had the current country house built on the old foundations. White plastered Huize Oranjewoud (Country House Oranjewoud) is surrounded by a beautiful garden and a moat. The estate remained in the family until 1953. Huize Oranjewoud is private owned and is used and rented to companies for meetings of all kinds.

Most probably the first state (residential manor) was built in the year of 1599. On the same spot the present stately house was built in 1647/48 by Johannes Sytzes Crack, grietman (a kind of mayor) of Aengwirden’. Architect was Willem de Keyser, son of the famous Dutch architect Hendrick de Keyser. The face of the building therefore has some similarity with the houses along the canals of Amsterdam. The building is surrounded by a moat. The bridge over the water dates - as specified on a bricked stone - from 1775. The port for the bridge comes away from the town of Horn and mentions the year 1819. Up to 1833 the house was the residence of the Crack family, when it became a public building, used as a court-house. Crackstate was a very notorious place during World War II, when it was used for torturing and executing people. From 1952 Crackstate is part of the town hall of the municipality of Heerenveen. It is located nearby the town centre.

Kootwijkerzand is a drifting sand area on the Veluwe in the Dutch province of Gelderland. With an area of 700 ha is the largest shifting sand area in Western Europe. It is part of the Kootwijk forestry reserve. During our last visit on a cold clear day in December 2021 the landscape and the trees were partly covered (in the shade) with hoarfrost, which made a particularly charming and moody scene. Especially as during our walk we were just the two of us and didn't encounter any other people in this amazing drifting sand area.

Kootwijkerzand is a drifting sand area on the Veluwe in the Dutch province of Gelderland. With an area of 700 ha is the largest shifting sand area in Western Europe. It is part of the Kootwijk forestry reserve. Around 2500 BC, people already lived on the Kootwijkerzand . A flint arrowhead and some pottery remains from around 1700 BC have been found. In the second century AD, a few farms were built and from 700 AD one can speak of a village. In the Middle Ages, iron ore was collected and processed. For this purpose, forest was cut down on a large scale for the production of charcoal. The sandy soil was exposed and started to shift. As a result, the village disappeared under the sand in the 11th century. Management measures are necessary to keep the sand of the Kootwijkerzand moving. Otherwise algae, mosses, lichens and higher plants will cover the sand. The sand is still really drifting. In strong winds, the loose sand blows away in certain places, and comes back down a bit further on. As a result, the terrain changes shape again and again, forming new sand dunes. On the open sandy plain, the temperature can rise to 40 degrees Celsius, while the night temperature can also drop below 0 degrees in summer . The area is often called “the Dutch Sahara”.

A slide show to promote Ipernity on Youtube . These five Dutch Castles are all not far from my hometown in the Netherlands. View and comment please on Youtube: www.youtube.com/watch?v=jGbKZvT1r3E&feature=youtu.be More info Ipernity/Advertising/Youtube: www.ipernity.com/group/advertising/discuss/195370 . More pictures and info of Dutch castles: www.ipernity.com/doc/294067/album/537955

The Verzetsstrijderspark is a city park in my hometown Apeldioorn. Locally it is also known as Marialust , named after the former estate on that location. Since 2009 the pond of the park is decorated with a fountain, the so-called Kwartjesfontein . The name arose because the fountain was (partly) financed by contributions from Apeldoorn citizens in the form of a kwartje (= a former Dutch coin of 25 cents). The fountain was unveiled on 31 August 1932 by then Princess Juliana, but in the Oranjepark , another citypark. After 50 years, the fountain was removed from the park, but was preserved. Once again, a fundraising campaign was held among companies and residents, allowing the Kwartjesfontein to spout again after a thorough restoration. On 31 August - the date of the former Queen's Day in the Netherlands - 2009, the fountain was put into operation by Princess Margriet.

The history of the ‘De Hoop Mill’ in Harderwijk can be traced back to 1621, when the first mill was built. The original mill, located at a different location, burned down in 1969. The restoration - on its present location at the old ‘Vissershaven’ (Fishermen’s harbour) - started in 1992, when an old mill structure was purchased from the eastern town of Oldenzaal. This mill originally came from Weesp and was built in 1773. ‘De Hoop’ (the Hope) was rebuilt and the wings turned again in the year of 1998. A year later the mill was officially reopened and is now open for visitors. More info (Dutch): www.harderwijksemolen.nl

The spire, called Westertoren, of the Westerkerk (Western Church) on the bank of the Prinsengracht is the highest church tower in Amsterdam with its 85 meters. The church, designed by the famous Dutch architect Hendrick de Keyser, was built between 1620 and 1631 in the Dutch Renaissance style. Older churches in Amsterdam were originally built by Roman Catholics and were converted to Protestantism during the Reformation in 1578. The Westerkerk was one of the first purposely built Protestant churches. Today the Westerkerk is the largest church in the Netherlands that was built for Protestants. Rembrandt van Rijn is buried in the Westerkerk, as are several other famous Dutch artists. Anne Frank was soothed by the chimes of the church’s clock tower while in hiding and mentioned it several times in her famous diary. Former Queen Beatrix was also married there back in 1966.

The ‘Beekberger Enk’ is located between the villages Beekbergen, Lieren and Oosterhuizen more or less against a moraine, which came into being during the last ice age about 150,000 years ago. In the 19th century parts of the ‘enk’ still were heath land and shifting sand dunes. Farmers held sheep on these waste grounds. Sheepfolds were often found in the villages and every day the sheep were driven out to the heath and returned every night to their barn. The manure of the sheep in the barn, mixed with heather sods, was used to fertilize the landscaped acres. On this way came contiguous agricultural lands into being between the three villages. They were called ‘enk’. Some fields have been raised a meter or more during the last centuries. They still have a typical profile: high in the center and lower at the borders. The fields on the ‘Beekberger Enk’ are still used as arable land and one can still see the ‘hilly’ profile.

Havezate Den Berg - manor or fortified house - was first mentioned in 1483 as ‘Huva Ten Berghe’. It was bought in 1703 by the noble family of Van Dedem. They built the present house, which was finished two years later. It is now managed by a private foundation ‘Van Dedem-Den Berg Stichting’. Den Berg (The Mountain) took its name from a nearby river dune of the river Vecht. The manor is located in the hamlet Millingen, just south of the village of Dalfsen. d in 1705. The house was restored in 1985. The house takes its name from a river dune nearby.

Watermill Den Haller is most probably the oldest still existing watermill in the Netherlands and the only remaining mill in the village of Diepenheim. It was first mentioned in the year of 1169. In 1331 Jan van Diest , bishop of Utrecht, bought the mill as part of the domain of Diepenheim . In the 18th century the mill was owned by the city of Deventer. The city council sold the mill in 1870 to Jan Hallers, who already had been the miller for many years, and became its present name “Den Haller”. It is now owned by a local foundation. Watermill Den Haller is situated along the Diepenheimse Molenbeek in a protected rural area. It is a so called undershot mill and has three sets of millstones. The mill is open for visitors many days a week and is still used as a flour mill. More info (Dutch): www.molendatabase.nl/nederland/molen.php?nummer=787 www.watermolendenhaller.nl

Church of Schildwolde (Kerk van Schildwolde) dates from the 17th century. The present church was built on the foundations of an older church from the 13th century. The Reformed church is a simple aisle less church built of brick, which is plastered. The church was consecrated in 1686. The most striking part of the complex is the detached bell tower, dating back at least to the year 1289 and once belonging to the former church. The roof of the spire is not made of roof tiles, but entirely built in brick. The tower has a height of 46 metres. The tower in Schildwolde is one of the two remaining so called ‘juffertorens’ (‘damsel towers’) in the province of Groningen. There is a legend about the ‘juffertorens’, saying: once there were three very rich but 'sinful' sisters (the ‘damsels') who thought only of their appearance. They regretted their sins and promised they would each build a tower as penance for their sins. But most probably the name ‘juffertoren’ is less prosaic: this kind of narrow tapering church towers were called after a ‘juffer’, which in Dutch also is a long tapering pine trunk.

In 1664 the Frisian Nassau’s bought some heathland east of Heerenveen known as ‘t Wold’. The ‘village’ became its name 'Oranjewoud' ('Orange Forest' – Orange is the colour of the Dutch royal family) in the year of 1676, when Albertina Agnes, Prinses van Oranje Nassau, after the death of her husband Willem Frederik van Nassau - Stadtholder of Frisia - bought an existing country estate. Early 18th century her daughter-in-law Henriëtte Amalia van Anhalt-Dessau modernized the manor by (landscape) architect Marot (well known for the construction of Palace Het Loo nearby Apeldoorn). Marot designed two new wings for Oranjewoud, but the central building was never built. The architect also planned the gardens and park around the manor. During the French occupation, both wings were demolished and the property was sold. Two estates were built where the Stadtholder's country house had once stood: Oranjewoud at the site of the old castle and Oranjestein where the home of the steward had been. Various generations of the Oranje-Nassau family spent their summer at Oranjewoud. White plastered Huize Oranjewoud - built 1834 on the place of the former (royal) Palace Oranjewoud - is surrounded by a beautiful garden and a moat. It is private owned and it can not be visited. Opposite of the house is the entrance to the so called ‘Overtuin’ - see note - a lovely garden/park in English style.

Flour mill "Nooit Gedagt" is standing on one of the bastions of the fortress of Woudrichem. Originally the mill was built in the year of 1682 and was destroyed during World War II. "Nooit Gedagt" was rebuilt and reopened in 1996. Woudrichem itself is one of the official eleven Dutch fortress towns and its name ‘Walrichsheim' was already found in the year of 866. It became known as Woudrichem as from 1290, and could already be considered a town at that time, having a sheriff, aldermen and a council. It became city rights in 1356. For another view of the same windmill: www.ipernity.com/doc/327263/28234661/in/group/100944