Jaap van 't Veen's photos

Today the Netherlands produces billions of flower bulbs each year (of which two thirds are exported worldwide).The business of growing flower bulbs began almost 400 years ago. The first Dutch flower bulbs grew in Leiden, in the botanical garden of the university. They were planted there by Carolus Clusius, a scientist who wrote the first major book on tulips in 1592. Leiden was the first bulb region of the Netherlands, but initially the tulips did not leave Clusius's botanical garden. Only after a theft cultivation could spread. Once, the value of tulips was enormous. They were imported to the Netherlands from Turkey in the mid-16th century and gradually seized the passions of rich Dutchmen. In the Dutch Golden Age tulips became popular in paintings and festivals; tulip collecting amongst the elites became a popular pastime. In the mid-17th century, tulips were so popular that they created the first economic bubble, known as "Tulip Mania" (tulipomania). As people bought up bulbs, they became so expensive that they were used as money until the market in them crashed. But the Netherlands is still the centre for the trade of flowers and bulbs. All pictures in the collage are taken in the so called "Kop van Noord-Holland" ,the northern part of the province of North Holland. This area is the largest continuous bulb area in the Netherlands.

Ladenburg's history goes back to the Celtic (3000 BC) and Roman Ages, when it was called Lopodunum. Emperor Trajan elevated it to city status ('civitas') in 98 AD. It was a central trading town and one of the most important Roman cities in Southwestern Germany. The historic old town and its Fachwerkhäuser date back to the Late Middle Ages when Ladenburg was the capital of the Prince-Bishopric of Worms. Ladenburg is considered being the oldest town in Germany on the right bank of the river Rhine. Nowadays Ladenburg’s historic old town speaks for itself with medieval town fortifications, picturesque half-timbered houses and casy alleys and squares. Ladenburg is part of the Deutsche Fachwerkstraße (Timber-Frame Road)), connecting towns with timber framed buildings.

Easter Island - or Rapa Nui as the locals call their island - is well known for its moai, the great carved stone statues staring stonily across the island’s barren hills. The islanders used stone tools to carve a statue out of volcanic tuff. The statues were secured by bark rope attached to tree trunk capstans at the top of the ‘moai factory’. Then they were lowered down the slope into pits where, upstanding right, they were carved in the familiar shape. From there they were transported over the island to their final resting places. Each statue was carved to represent a specific deified ancestor - "moai" means “for the progeny” or “for the descendants” - that’s why there are no two statues alike. There are almost 900 "moai" recorded on Rapa Nui; almost 400 still in the quarry, between 164 and 288 on an "ahu" (a raised rectangular platform used as a place of worship) and 200 remain on the spot were they fell or were left during transport. The average "moai" weighs 12,5 tons and stands 4 metres high. Ahu Vai Uri is part of the Tahai Ceremonial Complex. The Ahu Vai Uri, whose name could be translated as “dark water” or “green water” is the platform with the largest number of erected statues. Its construction dates from 1200 AD. Its five restored moai are a sample of the different styles of how they were carved.

Idstein is nestled in the soft rolling hills of the Taunus Mountains. The city - granted city and market rights in 1287 by King Rudolph of Habsburg - dates back at least to the year of 1102, when the name first appeared in a court document, involving Udalrich and Konrad von Etichestein. Count Udalrich was succeeded in Idstein by the counts of Laurenburg, relatives of the archbishop of Mainz, who gave Idstein castle to them. From the middle of the 12th century, the Laurenburg family named themselves after the castle of Nassau. During this period the city became attached to Nassau and remained so until 1866. Besides the former castle complex and the beautiful Unionskirche Idstein has a mediaeval town centre with about 200 timber framed buildings. The oldest remaining house was originally built around 1410. Many of the houses date from the late 16th and early 17th centuries. The two main squares - König-Adolf-Platz and Marktplatz - and nearby streets are lined with numerous timber framed houses. The most magnificent and richly decorated house is the Killingerhaus (PiP2), built in 1615 by town clerk Johann Conrad Killing. Another remarkable building is the Schiefes Haus (PiP1), which was built in 1725 as a four storey house. Idstein is part of the Deutsche Fachwerkstraße (Timber-Frame Road)), connecting towns with timber framed buildings.

The Unionskirche (Union Church) is a protestant parish church in the historic centre of Idstein. The church was built from 1330 to 1350 under Gerlach, count of Nassau, when it was founded as collegiate Church of St. Martin. In 1669, it was transformed into a Lutheran sermon and burial church for the counts and princes of Nassau. The town church became its current name “Union Church” in 1917, hundred years after the union of Lutheran and Reformed Protestants in the Duchy of Nassau, which was the first in Germany. The exterior of the church is simple, but it has an extraordinary interior. The most prominent decorations in the church are the 38 paintings by the Flemish baroque painter Michael Angelo Immenraedt and his assistant. These canvas oil paintings on the ceiling of the nave and the upper part of the walls show biblical scenes and were made from 1673 to 1678. Opulent use of marble from for the arcades, columns, altar, font, pulpit and tombs is another feature of the church. The altar (1676) portrays the “Last Supper” in form of a painting. The crystal chandeliers - originally used in the Kurhaus of Wiesbaden - were fitted in the church in the 19th century.

Rot an der Rot was first mentioned around the year 1100. In 1126, the monastery Rot, also known as Mönchsrot, was established by French norbertine canons. Since then, the history of the village has been closely linked to that of the monastery, which was the first Premonstratensian settlement in Swabia. Soon the monastery gained influence outside the region through several new monastic foundations. In 1803, the monastery was secularised and the parish of Mönchsrot was renamed Rot an der Rot. From 1806, the municipality belonged to the kingdom of Württemberg (from 1952 state of Baden-Württemberg). It was not until 1947 that the Premonstratensian canons returned to Rot an der Rot. Since 1960, the monastery buildings have been used as a youth and education centre.

The church of St. Verena is the monastery church of the former monastery Rot an der Rot. It was built from 1777 till 1786. Originally the church was built in the Romanesque style in the 18th century and later rebuilt in the rococo style. St. Verena houses numerous works of art, including a famous altarpiece by Franz Anton Maulbertsch. The church of the former Premonstratensian is 67 metres long, 20 metres wide and 22 metres high, whereby the nave is 34 metres long and barely longer than the choir, which is 33 metres long. Nowadays St. Verena is the parish church of Rot and der Rot.

The Bruderschaftskirche St. Johann (Brotherhood Church of St John) is a late baroque hall church that was built between 1737 and 1741. The church offers a splendid interior; the focal point is the main altar under an open canopy. In addition to its use as a funeral church for the community of Rot an der Rot, the church building also serves as a venue for concerts.

The St. Nikolaus (St. Nicholas) is the parish church of Immenstadt im Allgäu. The current chucrh was built from 1704 to 1707. In 1275, the earliest records mention the parish of Immendorf. In 1360, Heinrich Count of Montfort elevated Immendorf to the status of a town (and the town was renamed Immenstadt). The medieval parish church was rebuilt after fires in 1484 and 1530. In 1704, the church was once again set on fire. In the years that followed, it was rebuilt with a simultaneous extension and crowning of the newly designed tower with an onion dome instead of the previous gabled roof. The church was reconsecrated on 18 September 1707. During a further extension of the church in 1907/08 - a neo-baroque sacral architecture was created.

The monastery of Bonlanden was founded in 1855 by Pastor Faustin Mennel. In 1864 he started planning for the monastery church St. Michael, which was completed in a neo-gothic style 1886.

Oberjoch is a small village in the municipality of Bad Hindelang. It has about 400 inhabitants. The village - situated at an altitude of more than 1.100 meters beneath the Iseler palteau - is one of the highest located ski resorts in Germany. Oberjoch is popular for skiing in winter, and in summer, many hikers and mountaineers visit the village. From Bad Hindelang one can reach Oberjoch through the Oberjochpass; with 106 bends, this road climbs an altitude difference of 300 metres. During our visit to Oberjoch, there was a constant struggle between the sun and the clouds. This provided atmospheric pictures.

The Hinanger wasserfall (Hinanger Waterfall) is a series of small cascades with one large drop of 17 meters from a limestone rockwall. The waterfall is located east of the village of Hinang (not very well signposted) between Oberstdorf and Sonthofen. We visted there in winter, reaching the waterfall after a walk from the road of about 15 minutes. It is not only the water that thunders down, but also the moss that covers the bizarre shapes of the rocks, the water that drips down everywhere and the countless icicles.

The Bruder Klaus-Kapelle (Brother Klaus chapel) is located in Hirschegg. This idyllic chapel, a wooden building with shingle roofing and bell roof rider, greets from a hill in the hamlet of Wäldele in Hirschegg. The author of the plan and the authoritative operator of the chapel building was the local pastor Bachmann. In 1950, at the feast of St. Stephen, the small mountain church was inaugurated, in honor of the Swiss national saint "Nikolaus von der Flüe". The altarpiece represents the patron saint.

Hofmannsruh is a moraine hill just south of Oberstdorf. From the top, one enjoys a beautiful view of Oberstdorf, the ski jump ramp and the Allgäu mountains. Hofmannsruh has an avenue of maple trees, planted in 1885.

The Seealpsee near Oberstdorf is a high mountain lake above the Oytal valley in the Allgäu Alps at an altitude of 1622 metres. The approximately 75,000 square metre lake drains into the Oybach via the Seebach and is located in the Daumengruppe on the southern slope of the Schattenberg ridge, which towers 200 metres above the lake. The idyllic, crystal-clear Seealpsee is considered being one of the most beautiful mountain lakes in the Allgäu Alps. (Pictures taken from Zeigersattel)

St. Johannes Baptist - the parish church of Oberstdorf - stands on the market square in the center of town. The tower with a height of 66 meters - the tallest in the upper Illertal - is the landmark of the town. The year 991 is mentioned in chronicles as the start of construction of the parish church, but other sources report that this Romanesque church was consecrated in 1141. In 1865, two thirds of Oberstdorf fell victim to the the great fire, including the parish church in the middle of the village; only the surrounding walls and the burnt-out tower remained standing. The reconstruction of the parish church took place in 1866. The walls of the nave, which were still standing and made of stone masonry could be used again; the nave was raised, extended and provided with a newly built choir. The church was finally reconsecrated in 1872. Four altars, beautiful pictures and statues adorn the church. The high altar and the people's altar are in the choir room. On the left is the Pentecost altar and on the right the Christmas altar. The church also has a beautiful carved pulpit.

The Loretto-Kapellen (Loretto chapels) are a complex of chapels and a fountain on the outskirts of Oberstdorf. It consists of three individual Roman Catholic chapels. The Loretto chapels refer to the Italian pilgrimage site of Loreto near Ancona and are the end point of the Way of the Cross, which starts at the parish church in the village. The Appachkapelle is the smallest and oldest Loretto chapel. The octagonal building was built in 1493. It is the origin of the entire complex. Today, the church houses a simple marble altar adorned with a wooden sculpture. The little chapel also offers frescoes from the time of its construction (PiP2). Just outside the chapel stands the Marienbrunnen , which has probably existed since the beginnings of the pilgrimages. The most beautiful and largest chapel is the Kapelle Maria Loretto . It was built when the Appachkapelle became a popular pilgrimage chapel in the 17th century (between 1657 and 1677) and could no longer cope with the large number of pilgrims. It houses the miraculous image of Mary (PiP3). The Josefskapelle was built in 1671 on a cross floor plan and consecrated in 1685. This chapel used to form the actual end of the Way of the Cross (PiP4).

The Seelenkapelle (Chapel of the Souls) is one of the few buildings in the center of Oberstdirf, which did not fall victim to the Great Fire of 1865. The chapel is located on the west side of the parish church - in the middle of the old abandoned cemetery - and has been used as a war memorial chapel since 1931. The entrance is therefore guarded by two martial soldiers. The chapel was probably built in the late 15th century. An "eternal light" was donated to it in 1504. In 1524 it was mentioned as an ossuary. The amazing paintings with the sculptures in the niches on the north wall were created in the middle of the 16th century. The impressive Pietà in the interior is dating back to the early 40s of the 20th century. The Seelenkapelle is of huge significance to the fallen soldiers from the war and is also considered as a memorial. The chapel is the second oldest of the Oberstdorf chapels.