the KNRM lifeboat station dates from 1911 and included a wooden ramp that leads to nowhere
a fiercy pirate guards the entrance of Cafe de Boekanier
even today locals will tell strong stories on the lying bench
the wooden drawbridge over the lock originates from the 18th century
the access to the IJselmeer
Lady Justice above the entrance door reminds us that the Museum once was a court of justice
the Museum has typical painted artifacts and costumes on display
from a wooden bridge you can spot the large wooden antlers from the Tree of Life Fountain
the Buren, one of the original small streets, leads to the Hylper Church
the lock gives access to the Frisian hinterland. The Wipbrug over the Zijlroede is of the so-called oorgat type
Hylpen (Hindeloopen) is a small city on the coast of the
IJsselmeer. Its name refers to mating grounds for deer
where the early Frisian kings are said to have hunted.
By 719 a small village had sprung up, only to be pillaged by
Viking raiders in 799.
At the end of the 12th century devastating floods had created the
Zuiderzee which provided Hylpen
with a direct access to the North Sea. Soon the city traded with Norway, England and the
Hanse towns along the Baltic Sea. These
contacts led to the development of the
Hylper language, still spoken by a few locals.
Hylpen saw its heydays in the 17th
and early 18th century but then slowly faded away to a small fishing town.
Today Hylpen has a large harbor for pleasure
boating and in summer the place can get pretty crowded with tourist.
You can stroll the narrow streets that feature captains
houses and visit the old town hall, now turned into a museum.
Do not miss the
fountain, designed by Shen Yuan and based on the
tree of life in the city's coat of arms.
We visited a quiet Hylpen (thanks to Covid-19) on a sunny day in August 2020.
the lock features a drawbridge and a lock-keepers house that includes a wooden belfry
here you can sit down and dream of being captain of an old sailing ship
the gable stone above the lying bench depicts the miraculous catch of fish
the Hylper Coat of Arms features a deer
a sturdy dike provides Hyplen ample protection agains flooding from the IJselmeer
