Hindeloopen

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

The harbour of Hindeloopen.

Hindeloopen (Frisian: Hylpen) is an old city on the North of Holland on the IJsselmeer. It lies within the municipality of Nijefurd. It is famous because of the Hindeloopen art and hindeloopen costume.

Hindeloopen is one of the eleven cities of Friesland.

[edit] History

Hindeloopen received city rights in 1225 and in 1368 it became a member of the Hanseatic-league. Since the 12th and 13th century, shippers of Hindeloopen undertook journeys to the North and Baltic Sea Coasts. The strong overseas connections with foreign countries and infrequent contact with the hinterland were probably the reasons for the developing of the Hindeloopen language; a mixture of Frisian, English, Danish and Norwegian.

The shipping trade brought the population of Hindeloopen a great prosperity. The 17th and 18th century were especially golden times. At that time, the people of Hindeloopen spent a lot of money in Amsterdam on precious fabrics and objects, which were supplied through the Dutch East India Company (VOC). The rich town developed in those days her own costume and a completely individual style with colorful painted walls and furniture.

In the small streets some seacaptains houses remind of this time of glory. You can see an anchor hanging on the facades of these houses, in those years a sign, that the captain could still accept freight. In summertime when the captain was at sea, the captain's wife lived with the children in the so called “Likhus”. A little house behind the captain's house at the waterline.

A canal in Hindeloopen

[edit] Sights

In the old center you can get a feel for Hindeloopen's unique character by wandering through the narrow streets and looking for the lovely views, the typical wooden bridges and characteristic facades. In the Museum Hindeloopen you can become acqainted with the rich maritime history and living culture of Hindeloopen, which manifests itself in the rich Hindeloopen art and in the fine old costumes.

Unique places: Lock with east tower, Old harbor, “Zijlroede”, West tower with church.