Balk
Balk
Balk is a large village with many amenities in Southwest Friesland; it is the main town of Gaasterland and is situated along the Elfstedentocht route.
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Balk is a village in Southwest Friesland, located along the Elfstedentocht route.
Balk is characterized by the Luts, a river that flows right through the center of Balk. This river is part of the Elfstedentocht route. Balk is a charming watersports village with various terraces, shops, and during the summer, many boats navigate through Balk.
In the 18th century, Balk was renowned for its butter trade. The old historical core of Balk, with several monumental buildings, is designated as a protected village view. Balk is situated near the Slotermeer, and nearby you can find villages like Harich and Ruigahuizen. Besides being close to one of the Frisian lakes, the village is also near the rolling landscapes of Gaasterland.
Read more about Balk here.
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Makkum War Memorial
Makkum War Memorial
By 16 April, the major part of Friesland had been liberated. But some important targets of the Canadians had not yet been achieved. They wanted to win the Frisian ports and the Head of the Afsluitdijk from the Germans as quickly as possible. But they would be hard fought. Both the ports and the Afsluitdijk were used by German soldiers to escape to North Holland.
As elsewhere in Friesland, the Canadians were helped by resistance fighters from the Dutch Domestic Armed Forces (N.B.S.) They suffered several casualties near Makkum. On 16 April, Schelte Bruinsma and Simon Sipma were killed in an attack on a farm in which the Germans had entrenched themselves. The next day, another group tried to occupy a bridge under Makkum. However, the Germans caught sight of them and in the ensuing gunfight, Rinnert Anema, Roelof van der Meer and Hendrik Postma were killed. Makkum was liberated on 18 April, as one of the last villages in Friesland.
The monument at the Buren in Makkum was unveiled in 1952 in commemoration of the members of the Dutch Domestic Armed Forces who were killed around the village during the struggle for liberation.
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