Jaap van 't Veen's photos

Sint-Elisabeth Begijnhof (Saint Elizabeth Beguinage) was founded in 1238 by Countess Joanna of Constantinople. The site largely retains its medieval structure with 41 pocket-sized, whitewashed, 17th century houses around a central green courtyard. The gothic St. Matthew’s Chapel dates back to 1464 and was rebuilt in baroque style in the 18th century. A beguinage is a community of laywomen known as “beguines”. Beguines were devout women who lived a religious and contemplative life without taking formal vows, allowing them to maintain personal property and freedom. The Begijnhof Kortrijk , along with other Flemish beguinages, is recognized as a UNESCO World Heritage Site. The beguinage has an intimate atmosphere and is an oasis of calm in the middle of Kortrijk's city centre.

The Onze LieveVrouwetoren (nicknamed Lange Jan ), is a church tower in the city of Amersfoort. The building is more than 98 meters tall and reaches high above the inner city. It is one of the most eye-catching monuments in town and the third highest church tower in the Netherlands. The church that belonged to the tower was destroyed by a gunpowder explosion in the 18th century.

Hofje De Armen de Poth is a historic medieval courtyard, dating back to the 14thcentury. It is one of the largest hofjes of the Netherlands. The almshouses - a number of them were used for housing plague sufferers - are built around the St. Rochus Chapel. Almost all of the 48 almshouses which are now part of ‘De Poth’ were built at the end of the 19th century when the court took on its present shape. Nowadays Hofje De Armen de Poth is still accommodating elderly inhabitants of Amersfoort with a modest income for a small fee.

The Botanische Tuinen Universiteit Utrecht (Utrecht University Botanic Gardens) are the largest academic botanical garden - with a size of about 10 hectare - in the Netherlands. The garden is located on Utrecht Science Park and surrounded by (modern) buildings of the university. The botanic garden has a spectacular setting including a large rock garden built on the bunkers of an old fort. It has a collection of around 10.000 plant species. The Botanic Gardens originate back to 1639, when the first botanical garden for medicinal purposes was founded in the city centre of Utrecht. In 1963 it came to the current location at Fort Hoofddijk , once part of the New Dutch Waterline. Between 1964 and 1974, over 2.100 tons of Ardennes rock created one of Europe’s largest rock gardens on and around the fort.

The NDSM-werf - is a former shipyard on the banks of the river IJ in Amsterdam North. The shipbuilding area has existed for over a century and has transformed from an industrial shipyard into a vibrant hub of makers, studios, exhibition spaces, cafés, and (creative) businesses.

In 1399 Workum received city rights and with that the right of mint and measure. In the 15th century, a weigh house was built. The weighmaster supervised the correct weights and measures. The Waag was mainly used for trading butter and cheese. In 1649, the weigh house was in very poor condition. The city council therefore decided to replace the it with a new building. A year later, a fine new weigh house was built in the center of the city on the Merk; the present building. The building has a hipped roof with a stepped gable dormer on each side. There are also coats of arms in the facades, including the municipal coat of arms with the year 1650. In 1923, the Waag was restored. The lower floor served as a police station and the upper floor became a library and public reading room. After a new restoration in 2007, the building is used by the Tourist Information Centre and Museum Warkums Erfskip .

The Koppelpoort is a medieval gate - part of the second city wall of Amersfoort - which was built between 1380 and 1425. It combines a land and water-gate, which is unique in the Netherlands. The gate was attacked in 1427 during the siege of the city, but was repelled. The name Koppelpoort refers to an area outside the gate, which was called De Koppel . Travellers could be allowed or refused to enter through this combined gate, even if they were travelling over water. In addition, the water levels in the inner city could be regulated with it. The Koppelpoort did get its current appearance during the restoration by well known Dutch architect Pierre Cuypers in 1885 and 1886. The latest restoration was completed in 1996. Nowadays the Koppelpoort is one of the eye catchers of Amersfoort.

Kasteel Groeneveld in Baarn is an 18th-century country estate and one of the finest examples of a country house from that era. Since the 17th century, regents and merchants from Dutch cities came to their country houses to enjoy the good life. The ‘castle’ was built in 1703 by Marcus Mamuchet and is considered being one of the finest examples of a country house from the Rococo style period. It was built in the tradition of 17th- and 18th-century estates that were intended as summer houses for wealthy city dwellers, mainly from Amsterdam. Groeneveld was probably built on the foundations of a farmstead. Initially, the house consisted only of the central part of the main building and the two outbuildings: coach house and orangery. The side wings date from around 1760. Kasteel Groeneveld was privately owned until 1940. Nowadays it is owned and managed by Staatsbosbeheer (a Dutch governmental organization for forestry and the management of nature reserves).

Het Twiske is a recreational area north of Amsterdam, nearby the village of Oostzaan. Originally, it was an area of moorland where peat was extracted. In the 1960s, sand was extracted from beneath the moorland to build a motorway. Afterwards, the sand extraction lakes and the surrounding land were developed into a recreational area covering 650 hectares. The largest lake - Stooterplas (main image) - is up to 35 metres deep. One third of Het Twiske consists of water and offers plenty of opportunities for swimming, diving, surfing and sailing. For nature lovers, it is a place for cycling, hiking and horse riding and in a varied landscape.

The stadhuis (city hall) of Bolsward is one of the most beautiful buildings of the province of Friesland. The richly decorated building was built between 1614 and 1617 in a Frisian mannerism style (late Renaissance). Once the municipality of Bolsward became included in the municipality of Súdwest-Fryslân in 2011, the city hall lost its traditional function. The building nowadays has a new function as museum and cultural center.

The Wimmenummerduinen (Dunes of Wimmenum) are located between the coastal villages of Egmond aan Zee and Bergen aan Zee. The inhabitants of Egmond aan Zee - so called “derpers” (villagers) - still call the dune area Duinen van Six . In 1679, Jan Six - a regent and writer descended from a wealthy family - bought the area around the village of Wimmenum. Six belonged to the in-crowd of Amsterdam and is friends with Rembrandt van Rijn. A portrait the painter painted of him is world-famous today. The dune area was the family's fenced-off hunting domain until it was sold to the of provincial water supply company of the province of North Holland (PWN) in 1992.This company has opened the site to visitors. The Wimmenummerduinen are characterized by an open dune landscape with several dune lakes, wet valleys and drifting dune tops. Horses and highlands graze the dunes to keep the landscape open. It is considered one of the most beautiful stretches of untouched dunes in the province of North Holland.

The first Slotkapel (Castle Chapel) - dedicated to Saint Catherine, the patron of the nobility, was built in 1229, commissioned by Willem I van Egmont. It was located next to the castle of Egmond. In 1430 Count Jan van Egmond ordered the demolition and rebuilding of the chapel in its current simple Gothic style as a one-aisled church. The chapel and castle were destroyed in 1573 in the Eighty Years War, during the siege of the city of Alkmaar. In 1633 the chapel was restored by the States of Holland and West Frisia. Various cities, aristocrats and companies from that time made donations for the restoration, including the fantastic stained-glass windows. The unique clock in the centuries-old tower was made in 1682 by Christiaan Huygens. In 1960 the Slotkapel was in a very poor condition and the municipality intended the demolition of the church. Due to the efforts of a group of citizens the chapel was restored and does still exist. Nowadays it serves as a venue for weddings, exhibitions and concerts.

The Ruïnekerk (Ruined Church) is dating back to the second quarter of the 15th century and was built on the site of a smaller pilgrimage chapel, which was built after the so called ’Miracle of Bergen’ in 1422. At time of the construction the church was the largest in the province of North-Holland. Originally it was a Gothic church, dedicated to Peter and Paul. In 1574, during the Eighty Years’ War against Spain, the church was looted and burned down by Dutch Protestants troops. The tower was lost completely, but the rulers of Bergen prevented the eventual destruction of the other remains, parts of the outer walls of the nave and the walls of the choir with its flanking chapels. The choir was rebuilt in 1594-1597 to serve as a Protestant church. Between 1955 and 1961 the church was restored and became a new wooden porch. The date 1958 is inscribed on the church facade to commemorate the restoration. In 1970, a 26-bell carillon was installed. Nowadays the church is still used for weekly services, but also for weddings, funerals and other cultural events. The Ruïnekerk - a national monument - is the landmark of Bergen, located right in the heart of the village.

The single nave Witte Kerkje (White Little Church) is dating back to the year of 1639. The tower is made of wood and has an octagonal spire. It is located on a so called “terp”, a man made elevation. In 1825 the church was thoroughly restored. During World War II the building was used as a school. German soldiers have pulled the bell from the tower for use of the material in the war industry. A new bell was donated and replaced by the municipality of Schoorl in 1949. Since 1972 the Witte Kerkje has been recognized and protected as a Dutch national monument. Nowadays the church is still used for services. The statue in front of the church (PiP1), Wasvrouwen (Laundry Women), is a reminder of the old days, when the lawn was used as a bleaching field for laundry.

The Grote of Sint-Gertrudiskerk (Great or Saint Gertrudis Church) is a huge late Gothic hall church, which is quite unusual for this part of the Netherlands. The church was built at the end of the 15th century (1480) by adding a choir to its single-nave predecessor. Shortly afterwards a transept was also built. Around 1515, work began on replacing the old one-aisled cruciform with the present three-aisled hall church. Due to a war, work was only restarted in 1523. The nave was never completed and in 1615 was closed by a wooden wall - which remained until the restoration of 1939/1951 - leaving the still unfinished tower standing at some distance in front of the church. In 1613 a crown with an onion-shaped dome was added to the tower. A sacristy was built between the choir and the transept (main image), which also served as the Latin School of Workum. The church, sacristy and tower are designated national Dutch monuments. The Grote of Sint-Gertrudiskerk is still used for services by the Protestant church of Workum. .

The Wildrijk is one of the smallest (800 x 240 meters) forests in the Netherlands. Yet this nature reserve is one of the most beautiful spots of the province of North Holland, especially in spring. During that time of the year it is surrounded by colourful bulb fields. The forest itself is covered with a blue carpet of thousands and thousands of wild bluebells, with some pink or white species. The flowers alternate with the fresh green of ferns. The Wildrijk is located in the Zijperpolder , where in the past wealthy merchants from Amsterdam owned wooded country estates. Later, during the construction of the Noordhollandsch Kanaal , a lot of forest was cut down. In 1940 the area came into the possession of Landschap Noord-Holland , a Dutch foundation which aims to protect the landscape and nature of the province of North Holland.

The Noordoostpolder is a landmass of reclaimed land in the former Zuiderzee on average more than four meters below sea level. It turned out that the bottom of this sea is very suited for the cultivation of tulips. Nowadays it has one of the largest area of bulb fields in the Netherlands with many multi-acre fields of tulips that bloom every spring.

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.