FRIESLAND (FRYSLÂN) Town Where Yousoonhave Afavourite Cafe Andyou’Ve Losttrackofthedays

FRIESLAND (FRYSLÂN) town where yousoonhave afavourite cafe andyou’ve losttrackofthedays. footing astouristdestinations. the foundthemselves livingonalake. Onlynowarefindingsure Hindeloopen placeslike Amsterdam andthesouthbutitalsoproved devastatingforsmallfishingvillages,which when theAfsluitdijk opened,closingtheZuiderzee. This providedlinksto better transport recognised byUnescoin2009. muddy water. Amixofholidayhomes,farms,mudandbeaches,theislandsseawere subtle waythatintheolddaysyoucouldnever besure whenyouwere onwatery mudor FrieslandseguesintotheWaddenzee insucha they hadtobuildthelandaswell.North a very self-reliant bunch.Here theydidn’tjusthave toprotect theirland, tobuilddykes it widely,youwillfindonroadsignsandothersignage. The provinceSnit isFrisianforSneek. has itsownlanguage,andwhileyouwon’tencounter townofSneek,you’llwonderwhat’sthis‘Snit’allabout?Well, Around theaquaticsports Frisianblack-and-whitenamesake jobbieshere). Butexplore abitandyou’llfinddifferences. At firstFrieslandseemstypicallyDutch:it’sflat,green andthere are plentyofcows(the Friesland (Fryslân) 226 At thecentre is Leeuwarden, ofbeguilingoldDutch theprovincial capitalandthesort Self-reliant andstoic,theFrisianswere integrated intoDutchsocietyin1932 further EvenLanguage isjustonethingthatsetsFrisiansapart. byDutchstandards,they’re

     HIGHLIGHTS Find yourlittlepieceofislandsolitudeon Combineacyclingtripthroughsanddunes backinHindeloopen( Kick p233 ), acoastal Take tothewater around Explore theexcellentmuseumsandshady whether itbefresh, salty,init,oronit ( p237 ), which hasafinenationalpark and (p235 ) Vlieland (p237) Ameland and (p236) and farmlandonTerschelling town almostforgotten by time back streets ofLeeuwarden (p228) Schiermonnikoog 21 – (p231 Sneek

Vlieland Terschelling Hindeloopen Sneek Ameland Leeuwarden Schiermonnikoog FRIESLAND (FRYSLÂN) To 227 A28 (4km) (40km) Groningen N375 To Groningen N355 GRONINGEN N371 N381 National Park Schiermonnikoog Meppel Lauwersoog

Buitenpost naal Drachten

Steenwijk N358

etka gri (18km) N380

Schiermonnikoog

To Zwolle Mar 00 20 km 12 miles Schiermonnikoog Dokkum N355 E22 Giethoorn A32 N358 Heerenveen N356 A7 Weerribben National Park Wolvega Ὀ ὈὈὈ N31 Hogebeintum Grou N392 Holwerd N361 Nes Most people who have lived in the region in the region lived Most people who have Ferwerd Ameland conversant in mainstream Dutch. in mainstream conversant for a significant time will speak some Frisian, to hear Frisian likely more although you’re older residents of coming from the mouths people’s. Don’t worry if you than younger themselves sitting beside a lake. Fortunately Fortunately sitting beside a lake. themselves the re- brought a solution: rebrand adversity gion as a holiday sailing brings mecca, which summer. people each and more more Language is actually closerFrisians speak Frisian, which (in some ways) to German and Old English an old saying that goes there’s ‘As than Dutch; and Frise’. English The cheese, are milk is to however, perfectly Frisians are, of majority Sneek N357 Hollum A6 (80km) S E A IJlst To Amsterdam N O R T H Leeuwarden Sloten N354 Bolsward N384 N393 A31 N354 Franeker FRIESLAND Harlingen N359 E22 Oosterend I J s s e l m e e r Workum Makkum Enkhuizen A7 Hoorn Hindeloopen Stavoren West Terschelling Terschelling Afsluitdijk (48km) FRIESLAND (FRYSLÂN) •• History

Amsterdam W a d d e n z e e e z n e d d a W To Hoorn (8km); Oost Vlieland

A7 Texel Farming, fishing and nautical know-how fishing Farming,

NOORD HOLLAND FRIESLAND E22 Vlieland To Den Helder (10km) Having dredged their home out of the the their home out of dredged Having for small fishing villages, who suddenly found villages, for small fishing Amsterdam and the south but was devastatingAmsterdam ingly – in 1932 when the Afsluitdijk (Barrier ) opened, closing p169 text, seeDyke; boxed links to better This provided the Zuiderzee. Friesland one of the wealthiest regions in the in the wealthiest regions Friesland one of Netherlands. The Frisians became integrated will- society – not entirely further into Dutch ships) have been the area’s principal activities been the area’s ships) have era made for centuries, and in the prerepublic (the building, repair and maintenance of of and maintenance (the building, repair are no strangers to struggling with their natu- no strangers are ral environment. Waddenzee armload by armload, the Frisians History History lonelyplanet.com