11 Fountains Route (for motorists and motorcyclists)

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Enjoy a scenic car or motorcycle ride that visits the 11 fountains in Friesland!

The route is almost 200 kilometres long and offers a rich set of experiences that fill a whole day. In each of Friesland’s 11 historical cities, you stop at a fountain created by an international artist in 2018.

Here is a preview of the 11 fountains you will see along the way:

1. Dokkum - The Ice Fountain designed by Dutch artist Birthe Leemeijer stands in the Markt market square in Dokkum. The layers of ice are formed by the play of the elements and energy generated by solar panels. The fountain points to the (loss of) connection between man and nature, climate change and the uncertain future of the Elfstedentocht tour skating event.
   
   
2. Leeuwarden - The mist fountain directly opposite the train station in Leeuwarden was designed by Spanish artist Jaume Plensa. The title of the fountain is ‘Love’. Two white heads standing 7 meters high, a boy and a girl, face each other. Their expressions are serene and their eyes are closed. They are surrounded by a circle of mist. The artist drew his inspiration from the sight of early morning mist rising above the fields of Friesland.
   
   
3. Sneek – The Fortuna fountain in Sneek was designed by German sculptor Stephan Balkenhol. The historic Waterpoort water gate for which the city is famous can be seen in the background. The fountain is a new take on the classic symbol of the cornucopia. A man holding a horn of plenty stands on a golden orb that rotates around its axis.
   
   
4. IJlst – The fountain in IJlst, an arrangement of flowers in a monumental steel bowl roughly 4 metres wide, is the most light-hearted and certainly the most colourful of the set. It was designed by Japanese artist Shinji Ohmaki. He drew his inspiration for the flowers from old varieties planted on country estates and for the vase from the ice skates once made by the Nooitgedagt factory.
   
   
5. Sloten – Starting from the top, we see a northern lapwing or peewit in the outstretched hands of a little girl. The little girl stands on the shoulders of a man, who in turn is balanced on a towering pile of buckets and barrels. Standing 5 metres high, the fountain was designed for Sloten by Argentinian artist Jorge Orta and his partner, British artist Lucy Orta.
   
   
6. Stavoren – The Fish Fountain in the harbour at Stavoren is a giant cartoon-like fish with a huge open mouth. It measures 20 metres long and 5 metres high and was designed by American conceptual artist Mark Dion. It alludes to the folktale of the Lady of Stavoren and is a bit like a theme-park attraction. Those who dare can step into its enormous mouth - at the risk of getting wet.
   
   
7. Hindeloopen – The coat of arms of the city of Hindeloopen depicts a tree of life with a stag on one side and a hind on the other. These motifs reappear in the copper and bronze fountain created by Chinese artist Shen Yuan. Water falls from the beaks of birds in the branches of the tree of life, which stands 3.5 metres high in a field next to Nieuweweg road. Large wooden antlers on each side of the tree serve as benches. The fountain is illuminated at night.
   
   
8. Workum – Behind the main church is a fountain featuring the Rampant Lions of Workum depicted in the city coat of arms on the historic Waaggebouw weigh house in Workum. Here, British visual artist Cornelia Parker has blown them up. The wooden lions of the fountain stand 3 metres high and spray water at each other.
   
   
9. Bolsward – The fountain in Bolsward is an eerie-looking bat that spouts water. Steps on its back invite you to climb on it. It stands on Broereplein square in front of the ruins of the old church and reaches 2.30 metres high and 3.80 metres wide. Belgian artist Johan Creten drew his inspiration from the colony of bats in Tjerkwerd and demonic gargoyles on Gothic cathedrals.
   
   
10. Harlingen – Since Harlingen once depended on whale fishing, what could be more fitting than to bring a whale back to its waters? The whale swimming in the harbour is 18 metres long and 2.50 metres high and was designed by Puerto Rican-based artists Jennifer Allora and Guillermo Calzadilla. Every now and then it sends up a powerful blast of water just like a real whale. It is possible to travel to it on a ferry.
    
    
11.  Franeker - The most classically styled of the 11 fountains stands in a courtyard next to the church in Franeker. French artist Jean-Michel Othoniel designed it as a tribute to Jan Hendrik Oort, the astronomer who first proposed that the solar system is surrounded by a huge cloud of comets. The fountain is 3.5 metres high and the water streams from a gold sphere.

Which fountain do you like most?

Post your photo with the hashtag #11fountains and #visitfriesland!