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Frisian eleven cities

Tour of discovery along the eleven Frisian cities - From old narratives we know that the first Eleven City Tour on skates was held in Friesland in 1763. What we do not know, however, is who started this tradition of skating past all eleven cities of the province of Friesland (Fryslân) in just one day. This grueling tour greatly appeals to the imagination of the inhabitants of the province of Fryslân itself, of the people in the rest of Holland, and also of many foreigners. Outside the ice-skating season the Eleven City tour is also popular, as it does not necessarily have to be completed on skates. Fortunately, there are various other ways in which the route can be traveled, e.g. on foot, by bike, by canoe, on horseback, by boat, by motorbike or by car.

For two hundred years, the East India Company contributed significantly to the booming economy in the Netherlands. Between 1602 and 1799 the trading company developed into the world's first real multinational!

Secrets of Holland

In the Dutch marshes of the sixteenth century a miracle took place. Despite a lack of materials and swampy conditions merchants managed to amass their fortunes.Owing to the economic prosperity the cities flourished. The merchants built beautiful mansions, the interiors of which they also paid a lot of attention to. They commissioned painters to make their portraits, and the famous Dutch School developed. Rembrandt van Rijn, Johannes Vermeer and Frans Hals, to name but a few, belonged to this school. Potteries found a ready market for their products. This period of prosperity became known as the Golden Age. Their numerous monuments and museums bear witness to this era of prosperity. Small wonder then, that in these six cities the past is still cherished under the name Secrets of Holland.

Zeeland and the sea remain inextricably linked. In earlier times, the sea played a crucial role in everyday life, as it still does today. Fishing vessels, container ships and tourist boats determine the view on the waterways of Zeeland. At Waterland Neeltje Jans you can see the latest developments in the relationship man has with the water. In the city centers of Middelburg, Vlissingen, Veere and Zierikzee the old facades, historical ships and museums testify to a glorious past.

Holland has more bicycles than residents. And it shows. We’ve 40.000 kilometers of cycling routes. Discover our country the athletic and relaxed way: on a bike. Feel better and see more. You can rent them almost anywhere and they will take you everywhere. Nearly everyone has one, and some people even have two: a Dutchman without a bike is as a fish without water!

An excellent way of discovering Holland is on foot! Wake up early for a walk on the beach and through the dunes. Or wander along historical sights in one of the country's picturesque towns. You can even go for a (mud) walk on the bottom of the Wadden Sea. Get to know Holland step by step!

History of the Dutch coast

The face of the Dutch coast is mainly determined by dunes and man-made dams such as dikes, which together protect the lower-lying parts of our country against the North Sea. Dunes account for some 75% of this line of defence which ranges in width from a few hundred metres to a few kilometres. Together with the beach and the sandbanks hidden below the waves, the dunes provide a natural protection against the sea. Natural forces such as the wind, waves and currents continuously change the face of the line of defence, however, strengthening it in some places and weakening it in others. The effects of these forces are now mostly understood and are used to keep the sand dams intact. By letting nature run its own course, our coastal landscape will preserve its natural character and value while it will at the same time safeguard other interests, such as water collection, housing, recreation and tourism.

Traditionally, dike constructions were thought to offer the best protection against the sea. Unfortunately, building dikes is very expensive. Moreover, dikes, and sea dikes in particular, are not exactly attractive elements in the landscape. Besides, in view of the continuously rising sea level, these dikes would have to be elevated in a few centuries time.

We must protect ourselves from the advancing sea or the most densely populated parts of our country will be flooded, including major towns such as Amsterdam, Rotterdam, Leiden, The Hague and Delft. Global climate changes are therefore a hot item in the Netherlands. Higher temperatures will melt icecaps on the poles and glaciers in the high mountains. If the Netherlands fail to take extra measures to protect themselves from the rising sea levels, it will disappear below sea level in the next few centuries.

For most people the beach constitutes the most important part of our coast. In the summer months millions of holiday-makers from the Netherlands and abroad flock to our seaside resorts to enjoy the sun and sand.

The beach is governed by the tides. During high tide extensive parts of the beach are flooded while at low tide immense surfaces are left dry. The highest point of a beach is just below the first range of dunes, where it provides an obstacle for the sea to undermine the dunes. In winter, however, this protection sometimes proves inadequate when winter gales lash the waves and water washes onto the beach. Breakers may roll in as far as the dunes and pull back great chunks of dune.

Dunes account for 62% of the Dutch coastline measuring a total of 254 km. Dunes are mainly created by the wind. Sea tides carry sand which is deposited on the beach by the waves. From there the wind blows the sand onto land where it will settle behind obstacles such as tree trunks or clumps of grass. These tiny hills will in turn provide shelter for more sand and eventually grow into fully-fledged dunes. New dunes will also develop on the seaside of the dune range. Over the past 10,000 years wide dune ranges have developed in this manner which now provide excellent protection against the sea. Unfortunately, the process is sometimes also reversed. There are places along the Dutch coast where the dune area is much narrower than before, or even absent (e.g. in the province of North Holland close to the village of Petten).

t is vital that we know exactly which dunes are threatened and which are not. By pinpointing exactly which dunes are at risk, we can step in to lend nature a helping hand in creating new dunes by transporting sand from deeper parts of the North Sea to the beach. By allowing nature to do its job, our coast will preserve its natural beauty. This not only provides for amazing views, but is also important for the formation of the scarce natural landscape in the Netherlands. The dune regions are, after all, one of the few remaining natural landscapes in our country. Moreover, the dune areas are used for the storage, purification and collection of water.

While the beach is the coast's most familiar face, sandbanks are its most unfamiliar. This is hardly surprising since they are mostly under water. Sandbanks are created by the combined forces of wind, waves and current and are perpetually on the move. Tremendous amounts of sand are transported in this manner, either towards the beach or towards to sea. A satellite picture like this one provides a clear view of the sandbanks. On average, more sand is transported to the beach in summer and towards the sea in winter. Deep channels, also known as gullies, occur between the banks. They present a danger to swimmers due to the strong currents flowing out to sea.

The Directorate-General for Public Works and Water Management has been monitoring sea movements for many years. The wind creates the waves and the currents. The moon creates the tides (getijden) flag and the tides create the currents. Naturally, the water level is particularly important in monitoring our coastline. If the water level is too high, dikes are flooded and the dune areas are threatened.

Lighthouses have always appealed to the imagination of people, both on and off shore. Lighthouses symbolize hope - taken literally by lost sailors in desperate search of a light on the horizon. In this chapter we will discuss in detail the history, technology and people behind the lighthouses. Traditionally, lighthouses have played an important role in sea navigation. Nowadays they also feature prominently in safety and rescue operations. There are currently 17 lighthouses in operation along the Dutch coast, and another four along major waterways running through the coastal provinces. For more details and a listing of the lighthouses along the Dutch shoreline, check out the details page.