The harbour of Stavoren
Stavoren
Experience the atmosphere of trade, fishing and recreational sailing. Stavoren is uniquely situated, as it is surrounded by the IJsselmeer lake on three sides.
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E-bike oplaadpunt - Veerboot Stavoren - Enkhuizen
E-bike oplaadpunt - Veerboot Stavoren - Enkhuizen
Experience the atmosphere of trade, fishing and recreational sailing. Stavoren is uniquely situated, as it is surrounded by the IJsselmeer lake on three sides. The new Johan Friso locks now form the access gateway to a relaxed and therefore extremely popular sailing holiday in Friesland. There's always plenty of activity here.
The old sea lock can also still be seen in the old harbour. It provides access to the city, and dates from 1576. For many centuries, this lock was extremely important for all large shipping trade from the hinterland. It was therefore maintained by the city and by the surrounding rural communities. The old lock lost its function upon construction of the Johan Friso locks on the southern side of the city in 1966. On special occasions however, it is still operated by hand. Nearby, you'll find the statue of the Lady of Stavoren, who epitomises the fall from grace.
Are you continuing 'seaward'? The next stop is the fishing harbour. Colourful new houses are a beautiful reference to the historic harbour quayside, and are reminiscent of Copenhagen. Where the 'Staverse jollen' – wooden fishing ships used on the Zuiderzee – were once moored, this is now home to modern, steel fishing cutters.
At the entrance to the harbour are the beautiful and aesthetically designed harbour lights dating from 1884: one red and one green. Here too is the Stavoren lighthouse: a lofty cast-iron light tower with neo-Gothic panels and a lamp body mounted on top. An identical light tower can still be found on Wieringen island at Den Oever. The tower stands more than 15 metres tall and is not open to the public. It's easily photographed from quite a distance however, which gives some pretty pictures.
Here you will find The harbour of Stavoren
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The liberation of Friesland
The liberation of Friesland
By 18 April, the whole province of Friesland had been liberated, except for the Wadden Islands. Compared to other provinces, there was little fighting in Friesland. Overall, the few thousand German troops who had been unable to escape from Friesland were defeated by the Canadians relatively quickly.
The commander of the Royal Canadian Dragoons, Lieutenant Colonel Landell, praised the actions of the resistance by stating that "Friesland liberated herself". While that may be a bit of an exaggeration, the actions of the Frisian resistance undoubtedly accelerated the liberation. And reduced the number of casualties on the Allied side.
At least 31 resistance fighters lost their lives in confrontations with German troops and their Dutch accomplices. At least eleven Canadians and one Frenchman were killed on the Allied side. Dozens of civilian victims were also killed in the fighting and shelling. The number of casualties on the German side is not known, but it is believed that the number ran into hundreds. With 320 destroyed and 4000 damaged homes and 80 destroyed bridges, Friesland was materially the least damaged province of the Netherlands.
Many German soldiers fled towards the western part of the country. The retreating German troops gathered mostly in Harlingen, Makkum and Lemmer. From there, they tried to get away by boat across the IJsselmeer or via the Afsluitdijk to North Holland. The Wadden Islands also became a refuge for collaborators and German soldiers. Here, liberation was longer in coming.
On the island of Terschelling, the last German troops were disarmed by a British artillery regiment on 29 May. Two days later, the British crossed from Terschelling to Vlieland, and the liberation of that island was also a fact. Ameland was liberated on 3 June.
Personnel from the infamous Scholtenhuis, the SD headquarters in Groningen, had entrenched themselves on Schiermonnikoog. After their departure on 31 May, there was a celebration on the island, in spite of the six hundred members of the occupying troops who still were there. Only on 11 June did the last German soldiers leave Schiermonnikoog, and then the whole province of Friesland was free.
Most Canadian units that had liberated Friesland continued the battle in Groningen and North Germany after 18 April. Their war ended on 8 May 1945, when the surrender of all German armed forces became effective.
