NL-4136001 Pumping polder water off the land

The Molenviergang in the Tweemanspolder in Zevenhuizen consists of four mills that have been connected in succession and which, for almost two centuries, jointly maintained the polder level. In order to bridge the height difference between the polder level and the level of the river Rotte (about 4.5 mtr), four mills are needed, since the height of a mill is at a maximum of 1.2 - 1.5 mtr.  This unique four-mill corridor was in full operation until 1952. In that year, an electric pumping station took over the task. 

The windmills are still completely intact and in the event of any calamity, they can take up their old task again.

This postcard came from Patsy (Postcrossing, 3 July 2018).

NL-4109683 Wind turbines and Tulip fields of the Netherlands

This postcard from Esther (Postcrossing, 2 July 2018) is entitled "Tulpenvelden"which means tulip fields". 

Tulips as everyone knows, are associated with the Netherlands and they are a well-known Dutch icon on the same level as Gouda cheese, wooden clogs (who wears them these days?), Heneiken beer and windmills.

Windmills mean wind power and the Dutch has a tradition of garnering power from the wind.  These days garnering power from the wind comes in the form of wind turbines in large wind farms.  I like the idea of gathering and using the wind and so I like wind turbines naturally (although windmills are so much more romantic.)

Wind turbines in the Netherlands
Wind power in the Netherlands reached an installed capacity of 3,431 MW by year end 2015, 427 MW of which were based offshore. The 2,174 turbines sited in the Netherlands by the end of 2015 provided the country with 5.6% of its electricity demand during the year, a figure that is growing but somewhat below the average of 11.4% that wind power provides across the whole of the EU’s electricity consumption. 2015 was a record year for new installations in the Netherlands with 586 MW added of which 180 MW were offshore.  Since 2015 there has been a trend towards the deployment and planning for large wind farms, both onshore and offshore, with a view to the approximate tripling wind power capacity from 2015 levels by 2023.

NL-4103753 Assorted cheese, crostini and an Opinel Knife

This delightful food postcard came from Wilma (Postcrossing, June 2018) of the Netherlands.  It shows assorted cheese, crostini and an Opinel Knife.
Since 1890, in a pocket, backpack, kitchen drawer or on the table, Opinel has been synonymous with a nomadic art of living, natural spirit, moments of sharing and complicity.  I don't own one but it sounds like something that I would love to have.

NL-3850601 De Haar Castle in Utrecht in the Netherlands

De Haar Castle (Dutch: Kasteel de Haar) is located near Haarzuilens, in the municipality of Utrecht in the Netherlands. The oldest historical record of a building at the location of the current castle dates to 1391. The current buildings, all built upon the original castle, date from 1892 and these buildings were built in a Neo-Gothic restoration project funded by the Rothschild family. For the restoration of the castle, the famous architect Pierre Cuypers was hired. He would work on this project for 20 years (from 1892 to 1912).

The castle has 200 rooms and 30 bathrooms, of which only a small number on the ground floor have been opened to be viewed by the public.
An extensive restoration programme of the castle and the gardens was initiated in 2001 and was completed in 2011.
This postcard came from Roel (28 July 2017).

NL-3850600 Map of the Netherlands

The Netherlands also known informally as Holland, is a densely populated country in Western Europe. It borders Germany to the east, Belgium to the south, and the North Sea to the northwest, sharing maritime borders in the North Sea with Belgium, the United Kingdom, and Germany.

The four largest cities in the Netherlands are Amsterdam, Rotterdam, The Hague and Utrecht. Amsterdam is the country's capital, while The Hague holds the Dutch seat of parliament and government. The port of Rotterdam is the largest port in Europe and the world's largest outside east Asia. Utrecht is a central node for road and railway communications, commerce, and cultural events.
"Netherlands" literally means "lower countries", influenced by its low land and flat geography, with only about 50% of its land exceeding one metre above sea level. Most of the areas below sea level are artificial. (Wikipedia)

This postcard came from Emily (27 July 2017).

NL-3812990 NL-4252752 'Paard van Marken" (Horse of Marken) Lighthouse

Marken is a village with a population of 1,810 in the municipality of Waterland in the province of North Holland in the Netherlands. Marken forms a peninsula in the Markermeer and was formerly an island in the Zuiderzee. The characteristic wooden houses of Marken are a tourist attraction.

In Marken, there is a lighthouse which is referred to as "Paard van Marken" which translates as "The horse of Marken". The current lighthouse was designed by J. Valk and built in 1839 and stands on the eastern tip of the peninsula. The tower has a light height of 15.5 meters and a light range of 16.7 km.

The tower began in 1700 as a square lighthouse. This was one of three lighthouses at Marken, De Ven and Durgerdam.  They were constructed which in 1699 to mark the route from the Wadden Sea to Amsterdam. The towers were originally equipped with oil lamps. .

In 1839 the square stone tower was replaced by a round iron copy on the old foundation. Later, a brick building with a house and storage space was built at the lighthouse, which gave the tower its current characteristic shape.

In 1970, the tower was declared a national monument.

The top postcard came from Hester (10 December 2018) and the lower postcard from Marianne (7 June 2017).

NL-3427948 Santa had a mishap - his Zwarte Pieten tried to help him

This delightful postcard came from Sanda (15 June 2016) Postcrossing.  It showed poor Santa (Sinterklass) in the canal and scores of his helpers, Black Petes (Zwarte Pieten) trying to help him.

In the Dutch tradition, Santa (Sinterklass) arrived each year by boat at Meppel in the Netherlands well before his December 5 day. He then gets on his white horse and distributes presents to little children. There would be large parades with Sinterklass in Dutch cities..

Accompanying Sinterklass would be his Zwarte Pieten. Those portraying Zwarte Piet typically put on blackface make-up and colourful Renaissance attire, in addition to curly wigs, red lipstick and earrings. In recent years, the character has become the subject of controversy, especially in the Netherlands.

To me, the whole thing is a Dutch tradition and a harmless festival mainly for children so all the protests seem rather unnecessary. I wholeheartedly agree with Sanda's comments on this matter.

NL-3189370 Oudewater, Utrecht Province, the Netherlands

Oudewater is a municipality and a town in the province of Utrecht in the Netherlands. In the 16th and 17th century, Oudewater was an important producer of rope. In the surrounding area, hemp was cultivated. There is still a rope manufacturing plant and a rope museum in the town.

Oudewater is famous for the Heksenwaag (Witches' scales). This weighing house, an official town building, became famous during the 16th century because people accused of witchcraft were offered an honest chance of proving their innocence. In many cities and countries such trials were usually rigged, resulting in the burning or drowning of hundreds of innocent people. People accused of witchcraft in Oudewater after weighing received an official certificate proclaiming them not a witch. Although nobody was ever found to be an actual witch in Oudewater, the weighings were still a public spectacle. Even today you can get a certificate that "your body weight is in proportion to your build." The reasoning behind this is the old belief that a witch has no soul and therefore weighs significantly less than an ordinary person; this distinction allows the witch to fly on a broomstick. Panel 3 on the postcard shows the weighing house and Panel 5 shows the interior.

The town hall dates from 1588 (Panel 1) and features a stork's nest (Panel 2). Panel 4 on the postcard shows the statues of a peasant family (Boerenfamilie) inspired by the writings of Herman de Man and sculpted by Ineke van Dijk.

This postcard came from Gerrit (5 November 2015) Postcrossing.

NL-3060113 The Great or St. John's Church in Schiedam, The Netherlands

The Great or St. John's Church  (St. Janskerk) is the oldest building in Schiedam which is a city and municipality in the province of South Holland in the Netherlands.  From the very beginning this church was and still is a cultural and historical centre of the city.  There are numerous events including (organ) concerts, fashion shows, big dinners, parties, community meetings, film projections, weddings, etc held in this building. Protestant church services are conducted in this church.

In 1262 an enterprising woman, Lady Aleida obtained the consent of Henry, bishop of Utrecht, to build the church.  That original church stood on the site of the current presbytery and the front part of the nave.  The construction of the present church building began in 1335 and was completed in 1425. The church was restored several times over the centuries and expanded.  The last restoration was completed in 2003.  Since 2012, St. John's Church Schiedam Foundation administers the church building.  The foundation maintains and improves the building from the proceeds of rentals and other revenues.

This vintage postcard came from Lenie (21 July 2015) Postcrossing.

NL-3049757 De Alde Feanen National Park

The Alde Feanen National Park is a national park in the Netherlands province of Friesland.

The size of the Alde Feanen National Park is about 25 km² (9.7 sq mi). Part of the national park is the lake area Princenhof (or Princehof). The Alde Feanen contains morasses, lakes, forests, peat and meadows. In the area there are at least 450 plant species and 100 bird species.

This postcard came from Anita K. (26 June 2015) Postcrossing.

Kasteel Hoensbroek in the Netherlands

Castle Hoensbroek or Gebrookhoes (Castle Gebrook) (Kasteel Hoensbroek) is one of the largest castles in the Netherlands. The tall round tower, dates from around 1360, when it was built by Herman Hoen, though a predecessor to the castle had already existed since 1225. According to the official website of the Castle, the oldest section of the castle structure dates from 1250. There are 40 different beautiful halls and rooms in the castle.

Castle Hoensbroek is located in the southern part of the province of Limburg in the village of Hoensbroek (municipality of Heerlen). It lies about 25 km from Aachen and from Maastricht.

Over the centuries the castle has received extensive rebuilding and expansion three times. The different architectural styles from the different centuries (14th, 17th and 18th) are easy to separate from each other. The complex is surrounded by a moat and has four wings situated around a rectangular courtyard. The main building is reachable over a bridge. The main building has two identical square towers with union-tops, flanking the entrance, and two taller half-separate corner towers of irregular shape at the backside. The forecastles are both U-formed and enclose two large inner courts.

This postcard came from Alex (18 June 2015) Postcrossing Direct Swap.

NL-3018956 Windmills in the mist

When one thinks of the Netherlands, one thinks of tulips, dikes, wooden clogs and windmills of course.

This postcard shows windmills in the mist and it came from  Jan (12 June 2015) Postcrossing.

For other Dutch windmill postcards that I have received, see:

http://flynnfrogg.blogspot.com.au/2014/02/the-windmills-of-kinderdijk_16.html

http://flynnfrogg.blogspot.com.au/2014/09/sw-da-246-windmills-at-zaanse-schans.html

NL-3010259 City Hall of Tilburg, Netherlands

The City Hall of Tilburg or Palace-Council House (Paleis-Raadhuis) is a former royal palace and presently a part of Tilburg city hall in the Netherlands. Construction of the palace was commissioned by King William II of the Netherlands, who placed the cornerstone on 13 August 1847. The king wanted to have a country residence in Tilburg. He never lived in the palace as he died on 17 March 1849, just 22 days before completion of the palace.

The palace has been rebuilt thoroughly twice, in 1865 and from 1934 to 1936, to give the palace a different purpose. The palace has been used as a school and as city hall of the municipality Tilburg.

In 1931 the palace was donated to Tilburg municipality by the Dutch royal family. During world war II the palace was used as an observation post for detecting allied aeroplanes. Since then the Palace is mostly used as a location for wedding ceremonies, lectures, oath-takings and symposia.

Source: Wikipedia

This postcard came from Marjanne (12 June 2015) Postcrossing.

NL-3020232 Nederlandse Spoorwegen (NS) Plan T set 519

The NS Mat '64 or Materieel '64 electric multiple units were built between 1961 and 1976. They are operated, in decreasing numbers, in the Netherlands by the Nederlandse Spoorwegen (NS). The class is actually called Plan T and Plan V: the Plan T is a 4-car EMU and the Plan V is a 2-car EMU.

 In July 2010 the last Plan T EMUs were taken out of service. The Plan V EMUs are now the oldest units used by the NS.

30 sets of Plan T EMUs were build between 1964 - 1965 and their set numbers were 502 - 531.  This postcard shows Plan T set number 519 and it was sent by Cees Beeke (4 June 2015) Postcrossing.

NL-2958503 Flags of the Zeemancolleges of the Netherlands

This postcard shows the flags of Zeemancolleges of the Netherlands.  These ‘colleges’ are associations that provide social security to the relatives of seamen lost at sea or who are injured or sick.  The associations also provide its members with advice and assistance and generally improve seafaring conditions. Members pay an annual membership fee.

Most Zeemancolleges were founded in the 19th century, although the oldest college was founded in 1587.  The first modern-day college was founded in Amsterdam in 1795.  There are still four Zeemancolleges left in the Netherlands.

This postcard came from Ingrid (24 April 2015) Postcrossing.

 

NL-2957596 Flag of the Netherlands

The flag of the Netherlands was introduced in 1572. This flag is one of the oldest flags to be used in the world.  It is the oldest tricolour flag still in national use.

The flag of the Netherlands was officially recognized as the national flag of the Kingdom of the Netherlands on 19 February 1937 through a royal decree.

The flag is customarily flown at government buildings and military bases in the Netherlands and abroad all year round. Private use is much rarer. Only on holidays such as Koningsdag (King's Day) is there widespread private use. On Koningsdag an orange pennant is added to the flag.

Why is the words "anno 2020" on the postcard?
Anouk explained that with global warming and rising water levels, most of the Netherlands would be under water by the year 2020.

 

This postcard came from Anouk (24 April 2015) Postcrossing.

 

 

NL-2858757 De Hef - an iconic bridge in Rotterdam

De Hef (official name Koningshavenbrug) is a disused railway lift bridge over the Koningshaven in Rotterdam.  The bridge was once part of the Breda - Rotterdam railroad. The two bridge sections on the shores date from 1878 .  The middle section was originally a swing bridge.  However, this was a major obstacle for shipping.

It was decided to design the bridge to accommodate shipping and De Hef was opened in October 1927. At that time this impressive bridge was not only the largest lift bridge in the Netherlands but the first of its kind in Western Europe. 'De Hef' as it was soon called in the vernacular, did more than 116 years service as a rail link across the Nieuwe Maas.

De Hef was decommissioned in September1993 after the construction of the Willemsspoortunnel.

In modern times, the centre portion of the bridge is parked in the highest position to accommodate shipping. This section is only lowered when there is a storm or for maintenance of the bridge.

Latest news: In November 2014 the middle part of the bridge was temporarily removed for major maintenance.  The 55 meters long and 9 meters wide bridge section was hoisted by special barges and transported to Merwehaven for refurbishing.

This postcard came from Karin (13 February 2015) Postcrossing.  This is the second bridge postcard that she sent to me.

NL-2848525 NL-2958745 IJmuiden North Breakwater Lighthouse

This lighthouse located on the North Sea coast in North Holland Province is known in Dutch as IJmuiden Nieuwe Noorderhoofd.  The nearest town is IJmuiden which is a port city and the main town in the municipality of Velsen. IJmuiden is located at the mouth of the North Sea Canal to Amsterdam.





The tower height of IJmuiden North Breakwater Lighthouse is 40 metres and its characteristic light is a fixed red, visible for 10 nautical miles. The structure itself is a hexagonal cylindrical concrete tower with lantern, painted with red and white horizontal bands.  This light is operational and was established in possibly in the 1970s



This is a temporary scan - a better image will be provided shortly

I received two similar postcards. Both came from from Kitty (5 February 2015 & 24 April 2015) Postcrossing.

NL-2814118 The Erasmus Bridge (Erasmusbrug) Rotterdam

The Erasmus Bridge (Dutch: Erasmusbrug) is a combined cable-stayed and bascule bridge across the Nieuwe Maas, connecting the north and south parts of the city of Rotterdam, the Netherlands.

The 802-metre-long (2,631 ft) bridge was completed in 1996. The cable-stayed bridge section has a single 139-metre-high (456 ft) asymmetrical white pylon with a prominent horizontal base, earning the bridge its nickname "The Swan".

The southernmost span of the bridge has an 89-metre-long (292 ft) bascule bridge for ships that cannot pass under the bridge. The bascule bridge is the largest and heaviest in West Europe and has the largest panel of its type in the world.

This postcard came from Karin (20 January 2015) Postcrossing.

NL-2781162 Aan de Amsterdamse grachten

"Aan de Amsterdamse grachten" ("At the Amsterdam canals") is a Dutch song by Pieter Goemans. It was first recorded in1956. It is one of the standard songs celebrating the city of Amsterdam and one of the best-known and most popular songs in the Netherlands.

This postcard showing a canal of Amsterdam somehow conveys the mood of the song to me.  It was sent by Wendy (20 January 2015) Postcrossing.