This is a project of collecting postcards from all over the world.
Showing posts with label Netherlands (Province : Utrecht). Show all posts
Showing posts with label Netherlands (Province : Utrecht). Show all posts
Thursday, April 26, 2012
Netherlands - Amersfoort Kei
Amersfoort Kei.
Sent by Hilde, a postcrosser from Netherlands.
"The nickname for Amersfoort, Keistad (boulder-city), originates in the Amersfoortse Kei, a 9-tonne (19,842 lb) boulder that was dragged from the Soest moors into the city in 1661 by 400 people because of a bet between two landowners. The people got their reward when the winner bought everyone beer and pretzels. Other nearby towns then nicknamed the people of Amersfoort Keientrekker (boulder-dragger/puller). This story embarrassed the inhabitants, and they buried the boulder in the city in 1672, but after it was found again in 1903 it was placed in a prominent spot as a monument. The fact is there are not many boulders in the Netherlands, so its a bit of an icon. It has been stolen regularly as a prank." (Source)
Sunday, January 29, 2012
Netherlands - Vinkeveen
An aerial view of Vinkeveen.
Sent by Nelleke, a postcrosser from Vinkeveen, Netherlands.
This is from Wikipedia : Vinkeveen is a town in the Dutch province of Utrecht. It is a part of the municipality of De Ronde Venen, and lies about 18 km south of Amsterdam.
The neighbourhood of Vinkeveen, which covers the town of Vinkeveen and the neighbouring hamlet of Achterbos, has about 8400 inhabitants.
Vinkeveen used to be a separate municipality. It merged with Waverveen in 1841, to form the municipality Vinkeveen en Waverveen. In 1989 there was a reorganisation of local governments, and Vinkeveen became a part of De Ronde Venen.
Vinkeveen is mainly famous for the Vinkeveense Plassen, a lake area east of the village. They are an important recreational area, with facilities for swimming, diving and yachting. There is a marina on the north shore of the lakes.
Saturday, September 3, 2011
Netherlands - Amersfoort
The gate of Amersfoort.
Sent by Gerrit, a postcrosser from the Netherlands.
This is from Wikipedia : Amersfoort is a municipality and the second largest city of the province of Utrecht in central Netherlands. The city is growing quickly but has a well-preserved and protected medieval centre. Amersfoort is one of the largest railway junctions in the country, because of its location on two of the Netherlands' main east-west and north-south rail lines. The town celebrated its 750th birthday in 2009.
The municipality of Amersfoort consists of the following cities, towns, villages and/or districts: Bergkwartier, Bosgebied, Binnenstad, Hoogland, Hoogland-West, Kattenbroek, Kruiskamp, de Koppel, Liendert, Rustenburg, Nieuwland, Randenbroek, Schuilenburg, Schothorst, Soesterkwartier, Vathorst, Hooglanderveen, Vermeerkwartier, Leusderkwartier, Zielhorst en Stoutenburg-Noord.
Monday, June 13, 2011
Netherlands - Lage Vuursche
Multiviews of animals in Lage Vuursche.
Sent by Yvonne, a postcrosser from the Netherlands.
This is from Wikipedia : Lage Vuursche (Dutch pronunciation: [laːɣə vuːɹ̠sə]) is a village in the Dutch province of Utrecht. It is a part of the municipality of Baarn, and lies about 5 km west of Soest, in the middle of the forest. Drakestein, the former residence of Queen Beatrix, is situated just east of the village.
In 2001, the village of Lage-Vuursche had 139 inhabitants. The built-up area of the town was 0.04 km², and contained 61 residences. The slightly larger statistical district of Lage Vuursche has about 210 inhabitants.
Until 1857, the village was a separate municipality, under the name De Vuursche, together with the small hamlet "Hoge Vuursche". It then merged with the municipality of Baarn.
Apart from the royal family, the most famous person from Lage Vuursche is athlete Fanny Blankers-Koen, four times gold medalist in the 1948 Summer Olympics.
Tuesday, November 16, 2010
Netherlands - Bilthoven
Multiviews of Bilthoven.
Sent by Merle, a TravBuddy friend from the Netherlands.
This is from Wikipedia : Bilthoven (52°8′N 5°12′E / 52.133°N 5.2°E / 52.133; 5.2) is a village in the Dutch province of Utrecht. It is a part of the municipality of De Bilt. It has a railway station with connections to Utrecht, Amersfoort and Baarn. It is home to the Netherlands National Institute for Public Health and the Environment, RIVM; and to the Union Mundial pro Interlingua, UMI, which promotes Interlingua internationally.
The statistical area "Bilthoven", which also can include the surrounding countryside, has a population of around 17560.
The history of the town goes back to 20 August 1863, the day when the Utrecht-Amersfoort railway track began operating. A station was placed at the junction of the track line with the Soestdijkseweg. Initially the Dutch railways did not plan a station on this spot.
Around 1900, the first villas appeared round the new station. The train traffic to and from the new station increased strongly at the same time: in 1902, one could take the train in both directions 52 times per day. As a result of this rail connection with the city, and the fact that the land nearby was relatively cheap, the number of villas continued to increase rapidly.
At this time the name of the town was still Bilt-station, but since it was not just a station anymore, the name was changed during a Council meeting on the 23 May 1917. Several names were presented, among which Bilt-Buiten, the Biltwijk and the Leyen. Eventually the name Biltsche Duinen was chosen. However, this name was not accepted by the Dutch railway company. For this reason, on 11 October 1917 another Council meeting was dedicated to the naming of the village. At this Council meeting several names were discussed, such as Leyenhoven, Bilt-Hoog and the Bilthof. The majority of the Council eventually agreed to the name of Bilthoven (which is the plural of Bilthof), which was suggested by Council member Melchior.
Three international peace groups were founded in Bilthoven in the aftermath of World War I: the International Fellowship of Reconciliation in 1919, Service Civil International in 1920, and War Resisters' International in 1921. The founding meetings of all three groups took place at the home of Kees and Betty Boeke.
The experimental school De Werkplaats, founded by Kees Boeke, has been based in Bilthoven since 1926. The Dutch Queen Beatrix went to school in Bilthoven. She attended the Werkplaats.
Friday, November 12, 2010
Netherlands - Utrecht
Multiviews of the Utrecht in Netherlands.
Sent by Sonja, a postcrosser from the Hague in Netherlands.
This is from Wikipedia : Utrecht (Dutch pronunciation: [ˈʏtrɛxt]) city and municipality is the capital and most populous city of the Dutch province of Utrecht. It is located in the eastern end of the Randstad, and is the fourth largest city of the Netherlands, with a population of 300,030 in 2009.
Utrecht's ancient city-centre features many buildings and structures from the early Middle Ages. It has been the religious centre of the Netherlands since the eighth century. Currently it is the see of the Archbishop of Utrecht, the most important Dutch Roman Catholic leader. Utrecht is also the see of the archbishop of the Old Catholic church, titular head of the Union of Utrecht (Old Catholic), and the location of the offices of the main Protestant church. Until the golden age, Utrecht was the city of most importance in the northern Netherlands (the present-day country of the Netherlands, excluding Belgium and Luxembourg), until Amsterdam became the cultural and populous centre of the Netherlands.
Utrecht is host to Utrecht University, the largest university of the Netherlands, as well as several other institutes for higher education. Due to its central position within the country it is an important transportation hub (rail and road) in the Netherlands. It has the second highest number of cultural events in the Netherlands, after Amsterdam.
Friday, February 26, 2010
Netherlands - Dutch Barrel-Organ
Received from Veronique (random card tag) of Didam in Netherlands. This postcard shows Dutch barrel-organ or Dutch Street Organ.
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