Jaap van 't Veen's photos with the keyword: Jisp

The Dutch reformed church of Jisp was built in 1822 on the site of a late gothic and much larger church from the year of 1542. The current church is a sober hall church with a wooden gable tower. Together with the 17th century town haal it is located on a moated mound and is surrounded by a cemetery with some very old tombstones, many of themn from wealthy inhabitants. The church is a reminder of the economical decline in Jisp. It was built after the glory days of whaling. Many residents moved to other towns with more work. This meant that the church was too big for the village and no longer properly maintained. The residents of Jisp decided to build a new smaller version of the old church out of its remains. Today, in addition to church services, concerts, meetings, lectures, weddings and other activities take place..The church of Jisp is a national monument.

The town hall of Jisp was commissioned in the year 1650. The architect is unknown, although it is often attributed to "Leeghwater"- a famous Dutch mill builder and hydraulic engineer. The building replaced an earlier town hall, which stood more or less on the same spot. The year 1650 is inscribed above the door in the front. Above this is a stone in which the village coat of arms, the spoonbill, is carved (PiP2). The Town Hall shows us an example of Jisp's prosperous days. Not many villages had enough funds to build such a charming town hall but Jisp did. For centuries fishing, oil mills, shipbuilding, barber-surgeons (who were very capable at setting bones) and whaling all brought the village an abundance of wealth. In the middle of the 19th century walls of the town hall were renewed and other repairs were made. By 1900, the building was in very poor condition and it was feared that it would have to be demolished. But they managed to raise the money for a new restoration. Another restoration followed in the 1960s and was completed in 1963. Until 1990, the building was still used by the then municipality of Jisp. The building, besides town hall, was also used as weigh-house, guardian room and courthouse. Nowadays it is a wedding venue and is the home of Jisp's historical committee. The town hall is a national monument.