Friday 24 September 2010

Weekend Reflections, in Schoonhoven

 
 
 
 
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To enlarge: please click on photos!


The weather was fine on last Wednesday so a friend of mine and I decided to go to Schoonhoven and walk about. It's a nice typically Dutch town.
Schoonhoven is a city and municipality in the western Netherlands, in the province of South Holland.
A historic map of Schoonhoven of 1652 shows the north and west town walls, which were common during medieval times in the Netherlands. The only remaining medieval entrance gate of Schoonhoven is the Veerpoort (Ferry Gate) next to the Lek River . This Veerpoort has protected Schoonhoven from the floods of the river Rhine and from the sea during the North Sea flood of 1953 and is still fully functional as a water barrier today.


Schoonhoven is renowned for its silver, hence it is nicknamed Zilverstad ("Silver City"). Since the 17th century silver smiths have already been present here. Today there are a lot of silver trade possibilities and Schoonhoven is home of the International Silver School.

Another less known tradition in Schoonhoven is that of clock making. There are still small scale clock makers. Some of them can be visited. A beautiful example of large clockwork is the Van den Gheyn Beiaard on the medieval town hall of Schoonhoven (external link 3). In the Dutch Gold, Silver and Clock Museum a lot of other large and small clocks are on display as well.


This meme was started on 27 September 2009, by James. You can join this meme at some time during the weekend. Just post your photo and go to James to tell him that you are on, or click on the logo in the sidebar.This meme is created for any type of reflection.

19 comments:

Dina said...

Peace and quiet, lovely reflections, history--a perfect walking place.

Ann, Chen Jie Xue 陈洁雪 said...

The water looks a tad cloudy.

In my Church, we have a children's pastor. her parents are Dutch, she was born in NZ, but they returned to Holland where she grew up.

Today, she gave me a very nice Dutch biscuit. It is 1/2 inch high, round and is rather like a cake. It is very delicious.

Elisabeth said...

My maiden name is Schooneveldt, Reader, not far off the name Schoonhoven. It seems a lovely place to visit.

Arkansas Patti said...

What a lovely town to stroll around in.
I think it is so neat that you often bike or walk beautiful places and take us with you. Thank you Wil.

jennyfreckles said...

Gentle autumnal pictures - very nice.

Patty said...

Looks like you had a wonderful day for a walk around.

'Tsuki said...

Quel superbe canal... Merci de nous faire découvrir un si paisible endroit de ballade...

Miss_Yves said...

C'est une ville au passé très riche!
Merci pour cette jolie promenade !

joco said...

Inviting. Wouldn't mind a walk round the block :-)

EG CameraGirl said...

Looks like a perfect day to be out and about with a friend. Looks very much like the end of summer, the beginning of fall.

Gemma Wiseman said...

Delightful views of a magical little place with an extraordinary history! Love the soft melting of colours and reflections in the waters!

Carletta said...

These are wonderful!
Thanks for telling us about this quaint town. I find myself getting lost in your header photo and wanting to walk along those water ways.

Vicki Lane said...

Love that header picture especially! Schoonhoven looks like a very pleasant place.

Rune Eide said...

I always learn something new when I visit your site. So also today. Thank you:-)

Etje said...

Daar zou ik ook wel eens willen rondwandelen, maar liefs dan wel zonder regen he

Kay said...

I love all your photos, Wil! It always brings back memories of our biking trip there. The canals were so wonderful. It was so different from what we were used to. Your photos are fabulous! I especially love your header photo!

James said...

Schoonhoven looks like a very nice place. The canal is a great bonous and makes wonderful reflections.

Janice Thomson said...

Beautiful reflections that draw one in - a lovely town Wil.

Arts Web Show said...

Silver city.
Oh, that sounds amazing