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Amsterdam is the capital and most populous city of the Netherlands with a population of 872,680[12] within the city proper, 1,380,872 in the urban area and 2,410,960 in the metropolitan area. Found within the province of North Holland, Amsterdam is colloquially referred to as the "Venice of the North", attributed by the large number of canals which form a UNESCO World Heritage Site.
Amsterdam's name derives from Amstelredamme, indicative of the city's origin around a dam in the river Amstel. Originating as a small fishing village in the late 12th century, Amsterdam became one of the most important ports in the world in the Dutch Golden Age of the 17th century and became the leading centre for finance and trade. In the 19th and 20th centuries, the city expanded, and many new neighbourhoods and suburbs were planned and built. The 17th-century canals of Amsterdam and the 19–20th century Defence Line of Amsterdam are on the UNESCO World Heritage List. Sloten, annexed in 1921 by the municipality of Amsterdam, is the oldest part of the city, dating to the 9th century.
As the commercial capital of the Netherlands and one of the top financial centres in Europe, Amsterdam is considered an alpha-world city by the Globalization and World Cities (GaWC) study group. The city is also the cultural capital of the Netherlands. Many large Dutch institutions have their headquarters there, including Philips, AkzoNobel, TomTom and ING. Also, many of the world's largest companies are based in Amsterdam or have established their European headquarters in the city, such as leading technology companies Uber, Netflix and Tesla. In 2012, Amsterdam was ranked the second best city to live in by the Economist Intelligence Unit (EIU) and 12th globally on quality of living for environment and infrastructure by Mercer. The city was ranked 4th place globally as top tech hub in the Savills Tech Cities 2019 report (2nd in Europe), and 3rd in innovation by Australian innovation agency 2thinknow in their Innovation Cities Index 2009. The Port of Amsterdam is the fifth largest in Europe. Amsterdam Airport Schiphol is the busiest airport in the Netherlands, and the third busiest in Europe. Famous Amsterdam residents include the diarist Anne Frank, artists Rembrandt and Van Gogh, and philosopher Baruch Spinoza.
The Amsterdam Stock Exchange is the oldest stock exchange in the world. Amsterdam's main attractions include its historic canals, the Rijksmuseum, the Van Gogh Museum, the Stedelijk Museum, Hermitage Amsterdam, the Concertgebouw, the Anne Frank House, the Scheepvaartmuseum, the Amsterdam Museum, the Heineken Experience, the Royal Palace of Amsterdam, Natura Artis Magistra and Hortus Botanicus Amsterdam. They draw more than 5 million international visitors annually. The city is also well known for its nightlife and festival activity; several of its nightclubs (Melkweg, Paradiso) are among the world's most famous. It is also one of the world's most multicultural cities, with at least 177 nationalities represented
-Wikipedia
Joint press conference with NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg, the Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Netherlands, Wopke Hoekstra, and the Minister of Defence of the Netherlands, Kajsa Ollongren
Nest! 03/06/2021 17h25
At the heart of Nest is a circular waterbed that looks like a wobbly treasure, land and sea map.
Nest!
Due to the disappearance of Polka Marina in Ruigrijk, a new activity for young visitors was sought. While the older brothers and sisters have fun in the exciting and big attractions of Ruigrijk, fathers and mothers with small children stayed behind. De Efteling wanted to add something for these young children, who are still too small for the attractions. Something that suits both the area and the young target group.
Designer Robert-Jaap Jansen; "Nest! is a secret place in the woods between the Game Gallery and De Vliegende Hollander, where the different atmospheres of Ruigrijk merge into a world ridden by children. The little ones can get ready to take on the challenges of Ruigrijk at a later age. endured. Learned young is done old!”
“It was immediately clear that it had to become a playground from the perspective of children. Moreover, it has always been important that all children, with or without disabilities, can play together in this new playground. The path of life arose from this idea: the decking path of almost 80 meters long, over which children can ride in a wheelchair or buggy. And which you can also run around. The dragon totem also has multiple functions. From the ground and therefore also with a wheelchair, you can look through the periscope eye and enjoy the view from 6.5 meters high. At one of the slides you slide right past the dragon's teeth via the dragon's tongue. The small slide is also accessible for children in wheelchairs, who can make a transfer with supervision. In the heart of Nest! There will be a large wheelchair-accessible waterbed that looks like a wobbly treasure, map and sea map.”
[ Efteling 05/2021 ]
Damrak 23/09/2023 15h00
Damrak in black and white and full color on a rainy afternoon in September 2023.
Damrak
The Damrak is an avenue and partially filled in canal at the centre of Amsterdam, The Netherlands, running between Amsterdam Centraal in the north and Dam Square in the south. It is the main street where people arriving at the station enter the centre of the city. Also, it is one of the two GVB tram routes from the station into the centre, with lines 4, and 14 running down it. It is also on the route of the North/South Line (Amsterdam metro line) being constructed between the existing metro station at Centraal Station and the new Rokin station.
The street was located on a rak (reach), a straight part of the Amstel river near a dam; hence the name. In the 19th century, a section of it was filled in.
Country: The NETHERLANDS & WEST GERMANY (loco)
Operator: NS & DB
Item: STEAM
Class or Maker: DB/64
Wheel Arrangement or Type: 2-6-2T
Number: 64.475
Place details: ZWOLLE Exhibition or 'Stichting Zwolle 750'
Additional notes: Gauge std
LCGB Steam in Holland Tour
S.S.N. (Stoom Stichting Nederland)
Original source material: Kodak 35mm colour slide
Photographer: Robert W. Bridger
Copyright: Photographer
Library locator reference: RWBR_0507
30937 Transport Photograph Database
1980SEP06RWBR034cs
Netherlands Police Special Interventions Unit during Exercise Port Defender held at Rotterdam April 2017
Flevorpark 02/03/2021 17h25
New rails on new sleepers and fresh track beds in the loop of terminus Flevopark for the lines 3 and 14. Combino 2043 is leaving the mouse hole under the overpass of the Zuiderzeeweg to return to Centraal Station.
Combino 2043 was delivered to the GVB on 18/09/2002 and first put into servive on 11/10/2002 on line 9.
More information about line 14:
Wikipedia - Tramlijn 14 (Dutch)
Fēnix 25/06/2021 11h05
One of the major rollercoasters of Toverland is definitely Fēnix (together with the wooden roller coaster Troy) in the themed area Avalon.
Fēnix
Fēnix is a steel Wing coaster manufactured by Bolliger & Mabillard opened on 7 July 2018. Fēnix opened as part of Avalon, a new area with a theme based on Celtic legends. It was also the first Wing Coaster in the Netherlands.
Fēnix features a lift hill with a height of 40 metres and a layout with a length of 813 metres . The ride has 3 inversions: a dive drop, an Immelmann, and zero-g roll.
As the train exits the station it takes a 180 degree right-hand turn before climbing the 40 metre chain lift hill. At the top the train makes a 90 degree right hand turn before proceeding down the dive drop. Reaching speeds of 95 kilometres per hour, the train travels over an airtime hill before entering an Immelmann loop. The train then enters a 360 degree right hand helix leading into a zero-g roll. Following the zero-g roll, the train travels through a series of banked turns before entering the brake run and station.
FACTS & FIGURES
Park section: Avalon
Opened: 07/07/2018
Costs: €13,000,000
Type: Steel – Wing Coaster (model: Wing Coaster)
Manufacturer: Bolliger & Mabillard
Height: 40 meters
Length: 813 meters
Speed: 95 km/h
Inversions: 3
Duration: 1m45
Capacity: 1000
Trains: 2 trains with 6 cars. Riders are arranged 4 across in a single row for a total of 24 riders per train.
Herengracht 23/12/2024 19h15
In between the Leliegracht and Herenstraat this bluematic object was coloring the Herengracht blue.
MERMAID'S SONG
Artist: Flo Arnold (F)
Amsterdam Light Festival
Amsterdam Light Festival is an annual light art festival in Amsterdam. Artists, architects and (light) designers from all over the world bring their light artworks and installations alive during the festival every winter.
Edition #13 is from 28 November 2024 until 19 January 2025. In total 27 light artworks will illuminate the iconic canals of Amsterdam. For Amsterdam Light Festival 2024-2024 the theme is Rutuals. Rituals have traditionally helped us through all kinds of transformations; from past to future, from winter to summer, from youth to adulthood. Light plays a vital role in many rituals, as a vibrant symbol of joy, energy and life. We use fireworks to usher in the new year, candles to commemorate, and midsummer fires to welcome the solstice. Light adds something mystical and sacred to a ritual like no other element can. And rituals unify. Rituals bring people together.
That’s why we celebrate Amsterdam750 with light. With art. With each other. With Edition 13: Rituals.
Dam 26/02/2019 16h36
Together in backlight...
More AmsterdamPeople (album with candid and non-candid shot of people in Amsterdam)
Muiderstraatweg 21/04/2019 15h16
The Muiderstraatweg is part of the East-West axis of Diemen and will be completely redesigned. The trees have been felled and are planned again later. From April 30th till May 16 2019 tramline 19 will be shortened to Watergraafsmeer where it turns around to return to Sloterdijk.
This tram 830 of the series "12G" (817-841) was delivered to the GVB on 07/05/1991 and first put into service on line 24 on 20/07/1991. Since the opening of the Noord-Zuid metro line these trams are mainly used on line 19 and 24.
Photo taken on Easter Sunday 2019.
More information about line 19:
Opened: 22/07/2018
Route: Diemen - Middenweg - Sarphatistraat - Weteringschans - Leidseplein - de Clercqstraat - Admiraal de Ruijterweg - Sloterdijk
Length: 12.8 km
Depot: Remise Havenstraat
Equipment: Standard BN 12G trams (817 - 841)
Whenever I go on these dedicated photo trips I like to stay somewhere cheap but central. My hotel in Rotterdam was just behind Centraal Station a short walk along this canal. The hotel was basic but then that's you expect when you pay 40 Euros a night for a single room including breakfast........
Click here to see more of my Netherlands shots : www.flickr.com/photos/darrellg/albums/72157600347970233
From Wikipedia : "Rotterdam is a city in the Netherlands, in South Holland within the Rhine–Meuse–Scheldt river delta at the North Sea. Its history goes back to 1270, when a dam was constructed in the Rotte river, after which people settled around it for safety. In 1340, Rotterdam was granted city rights by the Count of Holland.
A major logistic and economic centre, Rotterdam is Europe's largest port, and has a population of 633,471 (2017), the second-largest in the Netherlands, just behind Amsterdam.
Rotterdam is known for the Erasmus University, its riverside setting, lively cultural life, and maritime heritage. The near-complete destruction of the city centre in the World War II Rotterdam Blitz has resulted in a varied architectural landscape, including sky-scrapers (an uncommon sight in other Dutch cities) designed by renowned architects such as Rem Koolhaas, Piet Blom, and Ben van Berkel."
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© D.Godliman
Leidseplein 15/02/2017 14h31
The renovation of this main square in Amsterdam in full swing. Brick layers at work and strange enough far ahead of shedule this time. So not Amsterdam!
Leidseplein
The Leidseplein is a square in central Amsterdam, the Netherlands. Lying in the southwest of the Grachtengordel district of Amsterdam, the Leidseplein is immediately northeast of the Singelgracht canal. It is situated on the crossroads of the Weteringschans, the Marnixstraat, and the Leidsestraat.
The Leidseplein is one of the busiest centres for nightlife in the city. Historically, the square was the end of the road from Leiden, and served as a parking lot for horse-drawn traffic. Today, modern traffic travels through the square and side streets are packed with restaurants and nightclubs. The Stadsschouwburg, a theater, is the most notable architectural landmark on the square, and the American Hotel is close by. Since 1986 Burger King has a location on the Leidseplein, the first Burger King in Amsterdam on the Damrak closed down some years earlier and this used to be the one and only Burger King till the second opened on the Nieuwendijk.
Since the summer of 1971 the square as well as the Leidsestraat are car-free and the square reserved for pedestrians and trams. The pedestrian area in the square by the disappearance of the roadway and later shed by shifting the tramlines.
On the Leidseplein and the adjacent Kleine-Gartmanplantsoen are stops for the tram lines 1, 2, 5, 7 and 10, four regional bus routes and a large number of night lines.
Leidseplein was the starting point of the first horse-drawn tram line in Amsterdam on June 3, 1875: Leidseplein - Plantation. A quarter century later, on August 14, 1900, the first electric tram went into Amsterdam from the Leidseplein to Haarlemmerplein. These two stretches are now part of tram line 10.
naar de Leidsebrug.
On the Kleine-Gartmanplantsoen is a taxi which will be moved to the Leidsebrug in 2017.
From April 2016, there are over a number of years, renovation work on and around the square, such as renewal of Leidsebrug and construction of a bicycle parking garage under the Kleinel-Gartmanplantsoen.
[ Wikipedia ]
Oosterdokskade 06/12/2016 18h53
One of my personal favorites of the 2016/2017 version of the Water Colors boat tour is this one on Oosterdok. Must be very spectacular to float through these water jets with an arche shaped veil of water full of light and visuals at the end. Strange enough a lot of tour boats go along and not through the arch of water. Point of view is the deck of the floating Chinese restaurant Sea Palace.
Amsterdam Light Festival
Amsterdam Light Festival is an annual light art festival in Amsterdam. Artists, architects and (light) designers from all over the world bring their light artworks and installations alive during the festival every winter. The artworks are placed alongside two routes. Each route has their own theme, set of artworks and visitor experience. Water Colors, the boat rout, displays big monumental objects and offers visitors the chance to experience the art from a water perspective. Illuminade, the walking route, shows interactive and innovative installations from upcoming designers in the Plantage neighborhood.
Celebrate winter, with art, light and water!
www.amsterdamlightfestival.com
ARCO
Artist: Teresa Mar
Location: Oosterdok | Oosterdokskade
ARCO from Austrian artist Teresa Mar is an arche shaped veil of water full of light and visuals. ARCO consists out of an abstract composition of thoughts and moments that are all connected to Amsterdam. It is a collage made out of scenes of joy, love and daily life in the Dutch capital.
The images Mar used for her collage are based on symbols and archetypes of contemporary media imagery. By filtering, decoding and translating she tries to read the media language to search for a deeper meaning. She has collected and juxtaposed the perspectives she fount into one digital projection. Mar stayed away from creating narrative storylines, because images let you form your own perspective.
Teresa Mar is a light projection and wall print artist from Vienna, Austria. Since 1997 Mar has been working with collages. In 2004 she started using digital images in her collages. The collage and the digitalized images enabled her to reflect on our contemporary reality where media and images play a big role. Because of the usage of existing material from the mass media Mar makes an innovative form of representation with her projections. The distance between the reality and the frequently shown images, she creates a space where the spectators can project associations themselves.
Netherlands Police Special Interventions Unit during Exercise Port Defender held at Rotterdam April 2017
Piraña 24/06/2020 15h31
The waiting area of the rapid river attraction Piraña starts at Max & Moritz Plein during corona times. Under the arch and along the river to the normal entrance. We did this ride with a temperature of about 30° C and a waiting time of approximately 30 minutes.
Piraña
Piraña is a river rapids ride in amusement park Efteling in the Netherlands. It was designed by Ton van de Ven, built by Intamin, and opened in 1983.
The ride is one of many attractions since the 80’s to diversify in more than just a fairy-tale park. House designer van de Ven took Intamin’s design, as implemented in Six Flag’s Roaring Rapids (Texas, amongst others) and expanded it into a pre-Columbian thematic ride. Original planned for 1982, the extensive architecture delayed the opening to 1983. As with earlier attractions, the entire landscape and service outlets in the area were remodeled to fit the unique design.
The ride starts with a descent through a dark tunnel, which opens up into a broad section of rapids in which the rafts can even overtake one another. The rafts then pass two waterfalls. In some cases the rafts line up in such a way that unlucky visitors will get a quick shower from the very edge of the falls. After this the river narrows. The area between the waterfalls offers visitors a chance to watch the boats go by. After the waterfalls there is a narrow passage with another overpass. In hot summers there will be a water jet from the wall to ensure that the boats will be splashed. The rapids get more intense throughout the ride, until it passes the narrow pass. After this pass it will drift between two waterfalls which are literally two walls of water. After passing the last waterfall the ride ends with more intense rapids. From the exit a walk can be made around the ride, using Inca rope bridges.
The ride is based on pre-Columbian cultures, whose styles can be found everywhere:
- The whole building is covered with chibcha decorations
- Square before the ride’s entrance: Chac-mool themed waste dispenser (Mayan/Toltec)
- Ride entrance: two giant Teotihuacan warrior atlantes. Above the gate we see Quetzalcoatl (Mixtec, Toltec, Aztec). At the side of the entrance two typical Mayan heads are displayed.
- Boarding area: typical colorful Tahuantinsuyu banners, windows and oversized Tumis decorate this area.
- The ride: Tiwanaku Inca style walls can be seen at the beginning. Further on we see the Teotihuacan sungod Con-tici Viracocha, other Chavin animal-like decorations and a ceremonial figure conclude the ride.
FACTS AND FIGURES
Opening: 18/05/1983
Ride: Rapid River
Constructed by: Intamin AG
Ride length: 520 meters
Propulsion: four pumps rotating 10 million liters of water per hour
Maximum Speed: 20 km/h
Duration: around 5 minutes
Capacity: with 35 boats: 2000 visitors per hour
Cost: € 7,25 million
Music: René Merkelbach
Design: Ton van de Ven
[ Source and more Information: Wikipedia - Piraña (Efteling) ]
Amsterdam is the capital and most populous city of the Netherlands with a population of 872,680[12] within the city proper, 1,380,872 in the urban area and 2,410,960 in the metropolitan area. Found within the province of North Holland, Amsterdam is colloquially referred to as the "Venice of the North", attributed by the large number of canals which form a UNESCO World Heritage Site.
Amsterdam's name derives from Amstelredamme, indicative of the city's origin around a dam in the river Amstel. Originating as a small fishing village in the late 12th century, Amsterdam became one of the most important ports in the world in the Dutch Golden Age of the 17th century and became the leading centre for finance and trade. In the 19th and 20th centuries, the city expanded, and many new neighbourhoods and suburbs were planned and built. The 17th-century canals of Amsterdam and the 19–20th century Defence Line of Amsterdam are on the UNESCO World Heritage List. Sloten, annexed in 1921 by the municipality of Amsterdam, is the oldest part of the city, dating to the 9th century.
As the commercial capital of the Netherlands and one of the top financial centres in Europe, Amsterdam is considered an alpha-world city by the Globalization and World Cities (GaWC) study group. The city is also the cultural capital of the Netherlands. Many large Dutch institutions have their headquarters there, including Philips, AkzoNobel, TomTom and ING. Also, many of the world's largest companies are based in Amsterdam or have established their European headquarters in the city, such as leading technology companies Uber, Netflix and Tesla. In 2012, Amsterdam was ranked the second best city to live in by the Economist Intelligence Unit (EIU) and 12th globally on quality of living for environment and infrastructure by Mercer. The city was ranked 4th place globally as top tech hub in the Savills Tech Cities 2019 report (2nd in Europe), and 3rd in innovation by Australian innovation agency 2thinknow in their Innovation Cities Index 2009. The Port of Amsterdam is the fifth largest in Europe. Amsterdam Airport Schiphol is the busiest airport in the Netherlands, and the third busiest in Europe. Famous Amsterdam residents include the diarist Anne Frank, artists Rembrandt and Van Gogh, and philosopher Baruch Spinoza.
The Amsterdam Stock Exchange is the oldest stock exchange in the world. Amsterdam's main attractions include its historic canals, the Rijksmuseum, the Van Gogh Museum, the Stedelijk Museum, Hermitage Amsterdam, the Concertgebouw, the Anne Frank House, the Scheepvaartmuseum, the Amsterdam Museum, the Heineken Experience, the Royal Palace of Amsterdam, Natura Artis Magistra and Hortus Botanicus Amsterdam. They draw more than 5 million international visitors annually. The city is also well known for its nightlife and festival activity; several of its nightclubs (Melkweg, Paradiso) are among the world's most famous. It is also one of the world's most multicultural cities, with at least 177 nationalities represented
-Wikipedia
Turvogn fra HKB 600-serien oppdaget i Amersfoort.
Norwegian railway carriage from "Holmenkollbanen" seen in Amersfoort.
Piraña 19/06/2019 16h32
A detail of the entrance of the river rapids ride of the Efteling.
Piraña
Piraña is a river rapids ride in amusement park Efteling in the Netherlands. It was designed by Ton van de Ven, built by Intamin, and opened in 1983.
The ride is one of many attractions since the 80’s to diversify in more than just a fairy-tale park. House designer van de Ven took Intamin’s design, as implemented in Six Flag’s Roaring Rapids (Texas, amongst others) and expanded it into a pre-Columbian thematic ride. Original planned for 1982, the extensive architecture delayed the opening to 1983. As with earlier attractions, the entire landscape and service outlets in the area were remodeled to fit the unique design.
The ride starts with a descent through a dark tunnel, which opens up into a broad section of rapids in which the rafts can even overtake one another. The rafts then pass two waterfalls. In some cases the rafts line up in such a way that unlucky visitors will get a quick shower from the very edge of the falls. After this the river narrows. The area between the waterfalls offers visitors a chance to watch the boats go by. After the waterfalls there is a narrow passage with another overpass. In hot summers there will be a water jet from the wall to ensure that the boats will be splashed. The rapids get more intense throughout the ride, until it passes the narrow pass. After this pass it will drift between two waterfalls which are literally two walls of water. After passing the last waterfall the ride ends with more intense rapids. From the exit a walk can be made around the ride, using Inca rope bridges.
The ride is based on pre-Columbian cultures, whose styles can be found everywhere:
- The whole building is covered with chibcha decorations
- Square before the ride’s entrance: Chac-mool themed waste dispenser (Mayan/Toltec)
- Ride entrance: two giant Teotihuacan warrior atlantes. Above the gate we see Quetzalcoatl (Mixtec, Toltec, Aztec). At the side of the entrance two typical Mayan heads are displayed.
- Boarding area: typical colorful Tahuantinsuyu banners, windows and oversized Tumis decorate this area.
- The ride: Tiwanaku Inca style walls can be seen at the beginning. Further on we see the Teotihuacan sungod Con-tici Viracocha, other Chavin animal-like decorations and a ceremonial figure conclude the ride.
FACTS AND FIGURES
Opening: 18/05/1983
Ride: Rapid River
Constructed by: Intamin AG
Ride length: 520 meters
Propulsion: four pumps rotating 10 million liters of water per hour
Maximum Speed: 20 km/h
Duration: around 5 minutes
Capacity: with 35 boats: 2000 visitors per hour
Cost: € 7,25 million
Music: René Merkelbach
Design: Ton van de Ven
[ Source and more Information: Wikipedia - Piraña (Efteling) ]
Copyright (c) 2016 Lee B. Spitzer. All rights reserved. May not be copied or used without express written consent.
[A2] Nieuwegein 29/03/2021 19h38
Northbound thru traffic coming from the Jan Blankenbrug (Lek) to Amsterdam have the two left lanes to pass along Utrecht almost without exits. Photo taken right before the highwayjunction with the A12 (Oudenrijn) Southwest of Utrecht.
Highway A2 Netherlands
The A2 higheay is a motorway in the Netherlands. It is one of the busiest highways in the Netherlands. The road connects the city of Amsterdam, near the interchange Amstel, with the Belgian border, near Maastricht (NL) and Liège (B), and the Belgian road A25.
The route of the A2 is shared with two major European routes. Between its start, at the Interchange Amstel near Amsterdam, and the Interchange Oudenrijn near Utrecht, the E35 follows the A2 motorway. From the Interchange Oudenrijn towards the Belgian border just south of Maastricht, the European route E25 follows the route of the A2.
Between interchanges Holendrecht and Oudenrijn, the road is being widened from six to ten lanes. Near the city of Utrecht, a system of local-express lanes has been applied, with the inner three lanes serving express traffic, and the outer two lanes serving local traffic. Unlike the situation near Eindhoven, the motorway status has been maintained for local lanes, which means that all ten lanes kept the name A2.
FACTS & FIGURES
Length: 217 km
Exits: 58
Speed limits: Various from 100, 120 to 130 km/h
Width: Various from 2x2 to 2x5 lanes (with local - express lanes around Utrecht - Den Bosch - Eindhoven)
Opened: First stretch opened in 1954 (Amsterdam - Utrecht 2x2 lanes)
[ Source: Wikipedia - A2 (Dutch) ]
Bourtange is a village with a population of 430 in the municipality of Westerwolde in the Netherlands. It is situated in the region Westerwolde in the east of the province of Groningen near the German border. Fort Bourtange was built in 1593 during the Dutch Revolt and was used until 1851. Between 1967 and 1992 the star fort was gradually restored to its mid-18th-century state and it is currently an open-air museum
The name Bourtange comes from the Dutch word tange (sand ridge), because the settlement is situated on a strategically important sand ridge in the marshes of the Bourtange Moor.
Fort Bourtange was initially built during the Eighty Years' War (circa 1568–1648) when William I of Orange wanted to control the main road between Germany and the city of Groningen which was controlled by the Spanish. This road followed a sandy ridge (tange) through the marshes (the Bourtange Swamp).
Later, around 1594, Bourtange became part of the fortifications on the border between the northern provinces (Groningen, Friesland, Drenthe) and Germany.
Bourtange was a separate municipality until 1822, when it was merged with Vlagtwedde.
In 1851 the star fort was given up and Bourtange became a normal village.
Around 1960 living conditions in the village deteriorated and it was decided that Bourtange would be rebuilt to its state of 1740-1750. Today it is an open-air museum. [Wikipedia]