This blog post is not about the Westfrisian writer Hendrik Jan Marsman (1937–2012), better known by his pen name Bernlef. Nor is it about the student association F.F.J. Bernlef in the town of Groningen, the Netherlands. No — this is about the original Bernlef, the bard and harp player who lived in Frisia sometime betweenContinue reading “One of History’s Most Enlightening Hikes: That of Bernlef and Ludger”
Tag Archives: terp
Burn Beacon Burn. A Coastal Inferno – Nordfriesland
Nordfriesland or North Frisia. The western coast and islands of the region of Schleswig. Stretching from the Danish town Tønder in the north to the River Eider in the south, it is a broad strip of land by the sea, together with fifteen islands and Hallig-islands in front of it. It is here where aContinue reading “Burn Beacon Burn. A Coastal Inferno – Nordfriesland”
Refuge on a Terp 2.0. Waiting to Be Liberated
August 21, 1930, Wieringermeer in the province of Noord Holland. The reclamation of just another piece of the Zuiderzee ‘southern sea’ was completed. A wooded area, when it was still land, that was called Creilerwoud. Land lost to the sea eight centuries ago during the most destructive All Saints’ Flood in the year 1170. TheContinue reading “Refuge on a Terp 2.0. Waiting to Be Liberated”
Half a Million Deaths. A Forgotten North Sea Disaster…
Did you know that between 328,770 and 502,190 people lost their lives around the North Sea? On the flip side: millions of possible casualties have been prevented successfully. For now at least… Half a million casualties is a lot. How could we forget about such a huge number? Did nobody notice? Did nobody mention? ItContinue reading “Half a Million Deaths. A Forgotten North Sea Disaster…”
The One Terp That Should Have Been Named a Wierde?
The Hague, 29 June 2013. On this day, Zwaantje Vink-Brouwer, widow of Piet Vink, together with a delegation of local government officials, re-opened the monument ‘The Terp’ in honour of her late husband. Yet calling this monument a ‘terp’ was a blunder. It outraged the people of the province of Groningen and nearly provoked aContinue reading “The One Terp That Should Have Been Named a Wierde?”
A Terp for Choquequirao, Peru
Why in heaven’s name should a terp be constructed in the Andes? To be more precise, the location for this terp is at the remote, archaeological Inca site Choquequirao in Peru. The answer to the question is not too difficult. The idea was inspired by the monument at the Tsjitsma terp near the village ofContinue reading “A Terp for Choquequirao, Peru”
manual — Making a Terp in Only 12 Steps
This is your DIY manual for enlarging or creating your own terp — an artificial settlement mound or house platform designed to protect against sea or river floods, depending on where it is built. Although terps have been constructed on the tidal marshlands of the Wadden Sea for over 2,600 years, this manual is theContinue reading “manual — Making a Terp in Only 12 Steps”
Notre Dame of Grou
The ‘First Lady’ of the village of Grou in the province of Friesland, the Netherlands, also named Grytsje of Grou. Archaeologists found her in January 2018, in the village of Grou at Halbertsmaplein Sq. Her grave is dated mid-eighth century. She received the title First Lady because until this find, it was not known peopleContinue reading “Notre Dame of Grou”
The Women of Anjum, Who Make Hard Men Humble
Late in the afternoon, December 28, 2018. One of the Frisian bastards arrives in the village of Anjum after a 30-kilometer hike along the coast, starting from Holwerd. It had been exactly 21 years since this quiet village was rocked by national news: the discovery of two male corpses buried in the garden of guesthouseContinue reading “The Women of Anjum, Who Make Hard Men Humble”
Frisia Coast Trail 