Jaap van 't Veen's photos

Making a road trip in North Holland, I came across the Stolpbrug just outside the village of Sint Maartensbrug. At first glance it didn’t look like a bridge and is located somewhere ‘in the middle of nowhere’ over the Grote Sloot . The structure is quite unique and can only be used by pedestrians and cyclists. After some research I found that the Stolpbrug is an artwork designed by Joke Zaal. The ‘bridge’ is a monument to mark the 400 years of existence of the Zijpepolder . The skeleton of the bridge has the shape of a stolpboerderij (haubarg), which is typical for this part of the province. Former Queen Beatrix of the Netherlands opened this artwork bridge in May 1997. The Stolpbrug is made of African azobé wood and has a height of thirteen meters. Except a bridge it is also a platform for cultural events and has a lookout with great views over the flat polders.

Schloss Montabaur is dating back to the year of 959, when it was first mentioned as “Castellum Humbacense”. It was initially a residence for Duke Hermann of Swabia. In 1018, the castle and its surrounding lands came under the control of the Archbishop of Trier. The castle was destroyed in 1212, but rebuilt five years later by Archbishop Theoderich von Wied. The castle was renamed “Mons Tabor” - inspired by Mount Tabor in Israel - which evolved into Montabaur. In the late 17th century Schloss Montabaur underwent a baroque transformation.This renovation gave the castle much of its current appearance. Nowadays the unusual yellow castle - situated on a hilltop high above the town of Montabaur - is visible from afar. The castle functions today as a conference- training center and hotel while maintaining its status as a protected monument of German architecture.

The legend behind the Maria in der Tanne - a small baroque church – is dating back to 1644. In that year a young girl was cured from an eye disease by the water of a nearby spring. Within the next year, a local tailor cured his leprosy by washing in the same spring. The thankful tailor placed a small statue of Mary in the cavity of a fir tree (from which the church draws its name: Maria in der Tanne = Mary in the Fir). The statue was forgotten, but rediscovered around the year 1700 by three Tyrolean soldiers. First a wooden chapel and later a simple stone chapel were built before the present pilgrimage church was constructed in 1705. Highlights of the church are the baroque high altar and the pulpit.

The Triberger Wasserfälle with a total drop of 163 meters above sea level - are among the highest and most well known waterfalls in Germany. The waters of the River Gutach plunge from 872 meters to 711 meters above sea level. The Gutach plunges from a gently sloping plateau over more than seven large granite steps into the rocky, V-shaped valley of Triberg. The steep waterfalls were formed by two faults in the granite and by glaciers.

Not much is known about the foundation of Meersburg. It is thought that there might have been a fortification here constructed by the Franks. The first use of a name recognisable as a forerunner of Meersburg was in the 11th century. The town became the property of the bishops of Konstanz in the 13th century when the ruler of the town died without any heirs. They developed what at the time was a small town around the old castle with city walls and obtained the rights to hold a market. Nowadays Meersburg is considered being one of the most beautiful spots along the Bodensee. One can still feel the spirit of history in the alleys and cobbled streets with many half-timbered buildings and picturesque corners. The so called Oberstadt is dominated by two castles; 'old' and 'new' castle are formerly residences of the prince bishops of Konstanz. Meersburg still has two ancient city gates. The Oberes Tor (main image) was built in the 15th century and was part of the defensive city wall.

Stein am Rhein - originally a small fishing village, located where Lake Constance becomes river Rhine (again) – developed in the 11the century when Emperor Henry II transferred the St. Benedictine St. George’s Abbey to its current location. He granted the abbey ample rights and the hamlet became a prosperous commercial center. Nowadays Stein am Rhein is well known for its preserved old center, with narrow streets lined with half-timbered houses. But the highlight of the town is the Rathausplatz (City hall square), whose perimeter is lined with houses with magnificent painted façades. Many of the houses have beautiful bay windows. For good reason the square is considered being the most picturesque of the country.

Around 15.000 years ago - during the last Ice Age - the course of the Rhine River changed dramatically. The Rhine Falls came into being at the transition point where hard chalk turned into soft gravel. The Rhine Falls - the most powerful waterfall of Europe - is 150 meters wide and has a height of 23 meters. The average water flow in winter is 250 m³/s, while in the summer the average water flow is 600 m³/s.

Tiengemeten used to be about five hectares in size. But due to siltation and reclamation this sandbank in the Haringvliet grew into a real island. In 2006 the island was returned to nature. A hole was made in the dike in the south, so that a large part of the island is now under the daily influence of the river. Similarly, the island offers grasslands, mud flats, swamp and forest. Tiengemeten gets its name from the “gemet,” an old surface measure, about half a hectare. This island originated around 1600 as a small sandbar of about 10 “gemet” (= Tiengemeten in Dutch). Since 1997 Tiengemeten is owned and managed by Natuurmonumenten (a Dutch society for preservation of nature monuments).

Goedereede was an important medieval trading town with its own city walls and a unique charm. Goedereede literally means ‘safe harbour’ and, according to archaeological excavations, the town’s harbour was already an important site as far back as Roman times. Goedereede was formerly used as a place to ship goods and received city rights in 1312. In the centuries that followed, water, storms and fires destroyed the town on several occasions. The town went into a long decline, losing trade to better-sited ports. The only Dutch Pope Adrian VI (1522-1523) was priest in Goedereede and is commemorated with a statue (PiP5).

The present Nieuwe Kerk (New Church) was built between 1835 and 1848, replacing the large St. Lievensmonster Kerk , which was destroyed bij a fire in 1832; only the tower remains today (PiP3). The design of the church is executed in a neoclassical style with symmetrical facades, impressive pillars, tall windows and a spacious interior. The Nieuwe Kerk was closed in 1971. The Reformed church was sufficiently served by another building. Nowadays the ‘church’ is used for (music) performances, expositions and other cultural events.

The Altes Rathaus (Old Town Hall) with its colourful façade was built from 1422 in Gothic style. Work on the impressive building lasted 14 years. In 1576, the building was modified with a Renaissance-style stepped gable. The bells at the top bear the date 1617. There were also changes in the 16th and 17th centuries. The town hall was renovated in 1885/87 and the façade paintings were renewed in 1972-1975 based on 19th century originals The facade, decorated with paintings, a covered staircase leading upstairs, jagged shapes and a beautiful Renaissance door - all this makes it one of the mosty beautiful buildings in South Germany. The rooms on the upper floors of the Altes Rathaus are still regularly used for meetings of the city council and committees as well as for receptions. The Reichsstädtische Bibliothek (Imperial City Library) and municipal archive are located on the ground floor.

The Mangturm (Mang Tower) - located on the harbour promenade - is a square stone building, which was constructed in the 12th century as part of the medieval city fortifications. The tower had a height of 35 metres high and was equipped with embrasures. The Mangturm was a perfect observation post at the end of the city wall, which also included two neighbouring towers. In order to send signals to ships on Lake Constance, fire baskets were hung on a pole outside the tower. After the construction of a new lighthouse in 1856, the Mangturm lost its function as a watchtower and signal tower. It was raised by one storey and covered with the distinctive glazed tiles. In 1914, the former tower keeper’s apartment on the upper floor was converted into a viewing room.

The current Kommabrücke was built in 1720. It is the oldest covered wooden bridge in Vorarlberg. The bridge spans the river Bolgenach at a height of 15 metres.

After the construction of the Anna Paulownapolder an office of the water board was built. This stately home is locally known as Polderhuis . In 1885 the Poldertuin (Polder Garden) around the house was designed by landscape architect Jan David Zocher jr., who also designed the well known Vondelpark in Amsterdam and the garden of Soestdijk Palace. His gardens are characterized by winding paths and water features with bridges. Polderhuis (nowadays privately owned) and Poldertuin were sold to the municipality. The garden is still owned by the municipality of Hollands Kroon, but since 2014 it is managed by a foundation. In autumn volunteers plant thousands and thousands flower bulbs, which are blooming between early April and mid May. The flower bulbs are donated by about hundred flower bulb growers in the region. The Poldertuin offers a large variety of springtime flowers like tulips (220 species), daffodils (125 species), hyacinths (30 species) and 35 special bulbs and tubers. The garden is also called ‘Little Keukenhof’, although the comparison is not appropriate. Keukenhof is no less than 25 times bigger and just open for eight weeks a year. Poldertuin is open all year, can be visited free of charge and is a real hidden gem and not very known to tourists.

The so called Kop van Noord-Holland is the northern part of the province of North Holland. This area is the largest continuous bulb area in the world. The soil - mostly sand - is extremely suitable for growing bulbs, because the winters are relatively warm and the spring is cool. Due to this climate, diseases are less common. The Kop van Noord-Holland is the largest bulb area in the Netherlands. Colourful blooming bulb fields reach as far as the eye can see. From mid-March to mid-May the region turns into one big sea of flowers. It starts with the crocus season, then daffodils and hyacinths appear and finally the tulips show their striking colours from mid-April until the beginning of May. (The Kop van Noord-Holland is my favourite region in the Netherlands for visiting flowering bulb fields. It is perhaps less known than the area around the famous Keukenhof , but definitely more attractive to me.) In addition to these endless bulb fields, the region features a couple of very interesting sights: Hortus Bulborum in Limmen with hundreds of different species of blooming bulbs and the Poldertuin in Anna Paulowna, a public park with more than 200.000 bulbs.

Surrounded by large blooming fields lies Fluwel’s - a recognized bulb breeding company - very colourful Pluk- en showtuin . In the pick-your-own garden one can pick its own bouquet of tulips. Next to the pick-your-own garden is a display garden. Here the company shows the tulip varieties they have for sale.

The Kleiner See (Little Lake) is the part of Lake Constance between the mainland and the island of Lindau. It has an area of around 20 hectares. It is bordered to the east by the 150 meters long Landtorbrücke . To the west, the 410 meters long railway embankment has formed the boundary of the lake since around 1840.

The Fatimakapelle (Fatima Chapel) was donated by an inhabitant from Hittisau. He promised to build a chapel if his son, who had been seriously injured, would recover. After 43 days in he was discharged in good health and the family began building the chapel in 1949. The tuff stone for the grotto was quarried from the Engen Loch on the nearby river Bolgenach. In 1950, following its completion, the chapel was consecrated. The Fatimakapelle was renovated in 1986. The chapel is named after the town of Fátima, the most important place of pilgrimage in Portugal and one of the best-known in the Roman Catholic Church. The chapel is dedicated to the Virgin Mary.