Gemalen Verhalen

In the landscape of Friesland there are hundreds, if not thousands of waterworks. Pumping stations, locks, overflows and so on. All to guide the surface water and the groundwater level in the right direction. Works of art in themselves, which are invisible to many people because of their apparent obviousness.

Sense of Place, in collaboration with Wetterskip Fryslân and Visit Wadden, is changing that. We will take you on a journey of discovery along a number of these Frisian waterworks via an audio route (in Dutch). With your phone or tablet as a guide, you will discover the DNA of our beautiful province – by bike or car. 

Let’s get carried away
The pumping stations and watercourses tell the story of the landscape in the North and the community that is inextricably linked to it. We, northerners, who turned Holland into the Netherlands and found a way to live on the seabed. In the time of rising sea levels and climate change, this theme is more relevant than ever and these waterworks deserve a stage. A spotlight. A bicycle and car route along the waterways of water management is such a spotlight – a spotlight that is accessible and will therefore appeal to a broad target group.

The route leads from Firdgum to Marrum and back towards Ried. Discover the special power through the (audio) stories of eleven waterworks in this area. Dive under the water surface where fish migrate. Climb the dike to see how the sheep contribute their bit. And go back in time where you learn how the villagers worked together to keep their feet dry

View the route online
View the route and listen to all stories here
Route length: +/- 50 km

At the various locations you will find posts with a QR code. Scan the code with your phone or tablet and read or listen to the story about the location in question via the Visit Wadden website. You will also find more information about the artist who recorded the story.

Tribute to Joop MulderGemalen Verhalen is one of the last projects that Sense of Place founder Joop Mulder worked on before his unexpected death. Joop felt it was important to give the invisible heroes of our country the attention they deserve.
He was therefore very passionate about this project.

To personalize the route and honor Joop, we asked eleven artists to record the stories. Each of them worked closely with Joop and realized beautiful projects for Sense of Place.

This project was made possible by: Provincie Fryslân

Illustrations by Leonie Castelein

Locatie: Camstrawei 18 8852 RH Firdgum.