Jaap van 't Veen's photos with the keyword: UNESCO Werelderfgoed

One of Greece’s most significant archaeological sites, Ancient Messene is also renowned for the impressive ruins of its monumental fortification - the 9,5 km long circuit wall flanked by towers at regular intervals with two main entrances, one of which is the Arcadian Gate. Large rectangular limestone blocks were used for its construction quarried on the spot on the rocky body of Mt. Ithome which at places preserves evidence of ancient quarrying activity. The city wall was 9,5 km long and 7 to 9 metres high. It was fortified by 30 square or horseshoe-shaped guard towers with doors admitting passage to a protected walkway on top of the wall. The wall was pierced by two main gates flanked by protective structures. Through the Arcadian Gate to the north ran and still runs the main road north (to Arcadia), currently from Mavrommati. The Arcadian Gate and adjacent section of the wall up to were restored from 2003 to 2005.

Ancient Messene is considered of being amongst the most exciting and complete archaeological settlements ever discovered and one of the most beautifully situated. Little more than a lush green valley in the southwestern Peloponnese - not far away from the city of Kalamata - just 40 years ago, it now ranks as one of the most significant remains of Greek antiquity. The city was founded in 369 BC and for many years the capital of the Messinian state. It flourished in the 4th century BC after the defeat of the Spartans by the Theban General Epaminondas, ending centuries of Spartan rule. The city was never subsequently destroyed or settled over, allowing an astonishing insight into life in ancient times. A complex that some believe is little more than a third excavated has already revealed the remains of a theatre, agora, stadium and gymnasium, as well as an assortment of sanctuaries, temples, statues, springs and dwellings. Nowadays Ancient Messene is a UNESCO World Heritage Site.

In 1088 in Patmos, St. Christodoulos the Latrinos (a gifted and educated monk) was granted funds by the Byzantine Emperor Alexios I Komnenos, to establish a monastery in honor of Saint John the Theologian. In 1091, Christodoulos began the construction of the monastery over the ruins of a 4th-century basilica, also dedicated to Saint John. The Monastery of Saint John the Theologian, built on top of Chora, dominates the whole island and looks like a Byzantine castle. It is surrounded by an irregular rectangular defensive enclosure, dating from the late 11th century until the 17th. Among other buildings the katholikon and cells have been preserved since the Byzantine period. The monastery’s walls are over 15 meters high, its length from north to south is 53 meters and from east to west 70 meters. The library of the monastery and the rich collection of relics is considered really famous, the most important examples of which can be admired in the sacristy. In 1999, the Monastery of Saint John the Theologian was declared a “World Heritage Monument” by UNESCO, along with the Holy Cave of the Apocalypse. As my wife's ancestors lived on Patmos in the 18th century, we have visited the island a couple of times. Since we have an original letter from one of the abbots, we also visited the monastery, hoping for additional information. Unfortunately, nothing was found there at such short notice.

Patmos is inhabited since 3000 BC, but the identity of its first inhabitants is still unknown. Finds have excavated various buildings, cemeteries, fortresses, and evidence of an ancient acropolis, testifying the existence of a densely populated area in the past. Patmos declined when the Romans conquered it. It was used as a place of exile for convicts. This is how Apostle John came to Patmos. He conveyed the inhabitants to Christianity and wrote the Book of Revelation, the Apocalypse. Patmos then became a place of worshipping and pilgrimage and actually. During the Byzantine times, the inhabitants of Patmos built a Grand Royal Basilica in honor of Saint John. During the Arab raids from the 6th to the 9th century the basilica was destroyed. In 1101 the construction of the Monastery of Saint John the Theologian started. The fame of the monastery grew and a settlement started to expend around it. During the end of the 12th century, the island of Patmos was transformed into a large commercial center. In 1522, the Turks came to the island; after a while, they left the island, which they just forced to pay some taxes. When the Turkish-Venetian Wars ended, tranquillity returned to Patmos and the island flourished, becoming once again an important commercial center. Massive fortifications were built around the monastery as a protection from the pirates. In 1655, Patmos was governed by the monks and prospered again. Its growth stopped in 1659, when the Venetians, conquered and destroyed the island of Patmos. With shipping, commerce and the efforts of the inhabitants, Patmos regained its lost nobility, glamour and prosperity. The Russians conquered the island in 1770, after the Turkish-Venetian War. The Greek Revolution started in 1821 and managed to gain the independence of Greece in 1832. The treaty signed in London did not include the islands of the Dodecanese as part of the newly built Greek State and therefore fell again under Turkish occupation. The Italians occupied all the islands of the Dodecanese in 1912, with of course Patmos, and remained there until 1943, when the Germans took over the island. In 1945, the Germans left and the island of Patmos remained autonomous until 1948 when it joined the rest of independent Greece with the rest of the Dodecanese Islands. In 1981, Greece declared Patmos a “Sacred Island'', and in 1999 UNESCO included The Historic Centre (Chora) with the Monastery of Saint John the Theologian and the Cave of the Apocalypse in its World Heritage Site List. Patmos is also part of the COESIMA network, as one of the seven most important pilgrimage sites in Europe.

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.

Fort Pannerden - located on a tongue of land at the junction of the river Waal and the Pannerdensch Kanaal (PiP3) - was constructed between 1869 and 1871 as part of the Nieuwe Hollandse Waterlinie (New Dutch Waterline). Originally the fort was built completely out of brick and mortar, with just one main battery guarding the rivers. It was upgraded significantly during 1885-1895. Fort Pannerden is the most easterly of the 50 sturdy forts of the New Dutch Waterline, a series of water-based defences. Soldiers were able to see from afar whether enemies were approaching on the river Rijn. They had to secure the flow of Rijn-water towards the waterline. Fort Pannerden is therefore also known as “the tap on the New Dutch Waterline”. Since July 2021 the Nieuwe Hollandse Waterlinie is a UNESCO World Heritage Site. The fort had strategic significance because it guarded the Pannerdensch Kanaal/Rijn, which supplies the water for the inundations of the New Dutch Waterline and could potentially be used as a route towards the main line of defence. In World War I the Netherlands remained neutral, although the fort was manned as part of a general mobilisation. During the German invasion of the Netherlands in of World War II (May 1940), the fort was first bypassed. One day later it was surrounded and cut off from the rest of the Dutch army, the commander of the fort surrendered under threat of artillery bombardment and air attack. After the war the fort became a quarry for building materials and a dump for ammunition. The fort itself was already decommissioned in 1959 and abandoned. Fort Pannerden then stood empty until 2000 when it was taken over by squatters. Years of court cases and evictions followed, finally resulting in an agreement; the squatters were appointed as temporary caretakers of the fort, but they could not live there anymore. In 2008 the former squatters left the fort voluntarily and a restoration of Fort Pannerdan started, which ended in 2011 with the fort being opened to the public. Nowadays Fort Pannerden - also housing a museum (PiP4) - can be visited for a fee. The fort is located nearby the medieval Kasteel Doornenburg .

The Fort bij Nigtevecht (Fort near Nigtevecht) was completed in 1904. The purpose of the fort (part of the Stelling van Amsterdam *) was to defend the accesses to Amsterdam, formed by the Merwedekanaal (nowadays Amsterdam-Rhine Canal) and the river Vecht. It also protected the sluices between these two waters. A second battery is located in the defence line wall near the fort. The fort has also three mounds, which are the remnants of anti-aircraft artillery positions that were installed in 1927. During the mobilization from 1915 till 1918 about 300 soldiers slept in the fort. In World War II, the Germans used it for storage. The fort - hidden in the green - is located on a quiet location near the Amsterdam-Rijn Kanaal. One can walk around wfor free. A large part of this stronghold was made waterproof and restored by Stichting Herstelling , a Dutch foundation that offers work experience to the jobless. Fort bij Nigtevecht is owned and managed by Natuurmonumenten , a Society for Preservation of Nature Monuments in the Netherlands. * The Stelling van Amsterdam (Defence Line of Amsterdam) is a 135 kilometers long ring of fortifications around Amsterdam. It was built between 1883 and 1920 and consisted of 46 armed forts and batteries, acting in concert with an intricate system of dikes, sluices, canals and inundation polders. It is a major example of a fortification based on the principle of temporary flooding of the land, aimed at protecting the Dutch capital against a possible foreign attack. The Stelling van Amsterdam is listed as a UNESCO World Heritage site since 1996.

Fort Werk IV in Bussum is an unique fortress fort within the Nieuwe Hollandse Waterlinie (New Dutch Waterline). This defence line spans 85 kilometres; it starts at Muiden and ends at the Biesbosch and is 3 to 5 kilometres wide. It consists of 45 forts, 6 fortified towns, 2 castles, 85 machine gun casemates, over 700 concrete troop shelters and casemates as well as more than 100 military sluices and water engineering works. The New Dutch Waterline is the largest National Monument in the Netherlands. Naarden - one of the fortified towns - is located in the foothills of a high sandy area and remained a weak spot in the waterline; inundation was not possible in this elevated area. Due to the improvement of the artillery, especially the range of the cannons, the fortress of Naarden had to be defended from a greater distance. It was therefore decided to construct a circle of five fortresses around Naarden in the period from 1868 to 1870. Four of the five mainly earthen works have meanwhile disappeared. The largest fortress, Fort Werk IV , has been preserved. It is built on a rather high point and is a fortress without water. It only has a ‘dry moat’, containing a wall with loopholes as a physical barrier. This crenellated wall is unique in the Netherlands and one of the main reasons why the fort is a National Monument. The Nieuwe Hollandse Waterlinie has been on the UNESCO World Heritage List since July 2021. Fort Werk IV has been restored to its former glory. As of July 2018, the fort is owned by theatre Spant! and nowadays used for business meetings and other events. The fort is freely accessible.

The Stelling van Amsterdam (Defence Line of Amsterdam) is a 135 kilometers long ring of fortifications around Amsterdam. It was built between 1883 and 1920 and consisted of 46 armed forts and batteries, acting in concert with an intricate system of dikes, sluices, canals and inundation polders. It is a major example of a fortification based on the principle of temporary flooding of the land, aimed at protecting the Dutch capital against a possible foreign attack. The Stelling van Amsterdam is listed as a UNESCO World Heritage site since 1996. The Fort bij Spijkerboor is the largest of the 46 fortresses, located in the Beemster Polder. The fort was built between 1889 and 1911 to defend the Northern Front. It was one of the most modern and heavily armed forts of the Defence Line of Amsterdam, equipped with an armoured turret with a double-barrel 10.5-centimetre cannon. The fort has two storeys because of the height of the dike to be defended. The fort was mobilized during the World War I. At that time there were 300 soldiers stationed. Although this defensive structure remained in the possession of the Dutch army until 1975, it has been mainly used as a prison throughout the years. Over the course of time, inmates have left their mark in the form of beautiful murals. At the heart of the fortress is a chapel, featuring these decorations. Fort bij Spijkerboor can be visited and is a kind of musuem, showing how the soldiers lived there with sleeping quarters, laundry rooms, an army kitchen with huge boilers and even a private loo for the officers !!

The majestic stadhuis (city hall) is built in the sixteenth century; construction of the building - after designs made by Cornelis Floris de Vriendt and several other architects and artists - started in 1561 and was completed four years later. At that time Antwerp was one of the largest and most important cities in the world. As one of the world's most powerful commercial centers the new city hall was to become a symbol of the city's wealth and power. It is considered being the most important Renaissance building in the “Low Countries”. During the Spanish Fury in 1576, the new building was set on fire by Spanish soldiers, leaving only the exterior walls standing. The city hall was rebuilt three years later, in 1579. The façade is richly decorated with statues, ornaments and coat of arms. It is facing the Grote Markt with its wonderful 16th and 17th centuries houses (PiPs). The stadhuis is decorated with the flags of the countries of the European Union, in addition to flags of all the countries that have a consulate in Antwerp. The ground floor of the building originally housed small shops. The construction of the city hall was partly funded with the rent received from those shopkeepers. The stadhuis of Antwerp is since 1999 inscribed on UNESCO's World Heritage List along with the belfries of Belgium and France.

Olympia was the site of the ancient Olympic Games, which were celebrated every four years, starting in 776 BCE. Olympia is situated in a valley in Elis, in western Peloponnesus. The site was not a town, but only a sanctuary with buildings associated with games and the worship of the gods. The sanctuary - originally known as the Altis - was a level area, about 200 meters long by nearly 180 meters broad. It was walled on each side, except to the north where it was bounded by Mount Kronos. The Altis consists of a somewhat disordered arrangement of buildings, the most important of which were the Temple of Hera, the Temple of Zeus, the area of the great altar of Zeus, the votive buildings and buildings associated with the administration of the games. The Philippeion (main image and PiP1) - the only structure inside the Altis dedicated to a human - was a circular memorial for king Philip II of Macedonia. Outside the Altis were the stadium (PiP2) and the hippodrome, where the Olympic Games took place, the palaestra/wrestling school (PiP3), the gymnasium, where all competitors were obliged to train for at least one month and the leonidaion (PiP4), lodging place for athletes taking part in the Olympic Games. Excavations of the archaeological site began in 1829 and many valuable objects were discovered, which can be seen in the nearby museum. According to UNESCO’s World Heritage website, there is probably no ancient archaeological site anywhere in the world more relevant in today’s world than Olympia. The Olympic flame - a symbol of the modern Olympic movement, introduced for the 1928 Summer Olympics in Amsterdam - is lit in front of the ruins of the Temple of Hera in Olympia (PiP5).

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.