A look inside Valletta2018

Cultural capitals always come in pares. This year, Leeuwarden is linked with the capital of Malta: Valletta. Narrow Streets, music around every corner and lots of terraces characterize this historic city. The Valletta 2018 Cultural Programme is a collection of over 140 projects and 400 events, which mostly have already taken place.Valletta has invested strongly in a programme that involves international and local artists collaborate. A total of 10 million has been spendon several infrastructure projects to evolve and expand even beyond 2018. Time for me to check out if you can actually see something from these investments in the city. More

Through the eyes of… Tomás O’Reilly Gallardo from Spain: The irony and excessive kindness

I arrived in Leeuwarden on January 26th. Prior to my Erasmus application, I had never heard of the city or even Friesland for that matter, so I didn’t really know what to expect. I read in forums that students here had a wonderful time, but I was unsure whether this tiny northern Dutch city would suit me, what would the people be like and a thousand other questions that were flying through my head. It was already dark when I set foot outside the station and the first thing I saw was a whole set of party-like lights and decoration. It was indeed the first of many times I was going to hear the words “Cultural Capital of Europe”. More

A world trip through time

LEEUWARDEN – When visiting the ‘Princessehof National Museum of Ceramics’, here in Leeuwarden, you can basically expect to travel the world through time. Instead of only showing ceramics you can learn about the history of it, especially how the Dutch ceramic become popular. More

Annemaaike Bakker from De Stormruiter: „I never sat on a horse before“

Annemaaike Bakker plays the female lead character in the production “de Stormruiter”, based on a novel by Theodor Storm. “De Stormruiter”, is presented to the audience from September until October 2018 in the WTC Expo in Leeuwarden, which is especially created for Cultural Capital 2018 Leeuwarden-Fryslân. The story themes are the fight against water and the formation of the Friesian Horse. I had the opportunity to get Annemaaike on the phone and talked with her about her life and her love for the theatre. More

,,11 Fountains: everything is connected” [5]

Project manager Bram Hulsman has an overall view of the 11 fountains’ construction and emphasizes two main peculiarities, which arise through the 11 fountains. Firstly, the variety of the fountains and secondly, the several connections that arise through the fountains. More

Beer from Leeuwarden [2] – Pass on the crown: De Kroon op Leeuwarden

In 1800 De Kroon aan het Noordvliet was the last brewery that closed in Leeuwarden. Figure out how De Kroon (crown) aan het Noordvliet inspired De Kroon op Leeuwarden and how the crown passed on in Leeuwarden over the centuries. More

The inevitability of sustainable transportation

Madelon van Kempen, born in Brabant, has been promoting sustainable transport for years. She hopes to stimulate as many people as possible to follow her example. For a while now, she is heavily involved in the Elfwegentocht; two fossil fuel-free weeks planned in Fryslân from the first, till the 14th of July, 2018. More

Lend a Frisian

The day and age in which libraries merely offer books for lend are long gone, think about for example cd’s and dvd’s. The Libraries here in Friesland now even offer Frisians for lend, that’s right, actual Frisians. Libraries serve the purpose of distributing knowledge from one to another. What better way to learn about Fryslân’s unique aspects than by hearing about it from a real Frisian. More

Lân fan Taal – Land of Language

An interview with Siart Smit, the director of Lân fan Taal project, will give us an understanding in how this project will add a new quality to Leeuwarden by creating an ideal world of language, where all the languages come together. “Lân fan taal is like an open air museum with a lot of different things to do from high art to music festivals and everything in between.” More

Lena Lötzer from Germany – YourPost’s DNA

My name is Lena Lötzer, I am 22 years old and from a small village in Germany. After finishing high school, I went to New Zealand for a year. In New Zealand, I grooved my English language skills, immersed myself in a different culture, and met people with various backgrounds from all over the world. The international atmosphere impressed me so much that I decided to study abroad. This is how I came to Leeuwarden three years ago. More

Blokhuispoort, the old jail of Leeuwarden is now the cultural heart of the city

LEEUWARDEN – Have you ever wondered how a real jail looks like or what is the atmosphere? Leeuwarden has been permanently inhabited since the 10th century and was granted town in 1435. Moreover, the city was liberated from German occupation during World War II and visitors can see lots of old buildings. One of them is the old jail of Leeuwarden: Blokhuispoort built in 1499 as a type of fort and was turned into a prison in 1580 used till 1995. More

Slimme Trapper – the bike that helps you recycle

LEEUWARDEN – As Cultural Capital 2018, Leeuwarden needs to make sure that it stays innovative, creative and supportive of young individuals with great ideas. However, another thing that has to be considered is the environment. How can people make sure that they are not harming the environment with their projects and activities? How can we make our surroundings more pleasant and reuse the waste we have created? Lastly, how can we encourage people to look into themselves and strive to make a change? More

Mayor Crone: ,,Students bring energy to the city” [2]

LEEUWARDEN – Mayor of Leeuwarden, Ferd. J.M. Crone, hosted Eric Blomqvist and me at the city hall. We had a chance to talk about students, cultural capital and many other things. According to the Mayor students are important for the cultural capital for next year. Also, we heard that Groningen university will open a new campus here, in Leeuwarden. More

Mayor Crone: ,,Students bring energy to the city” [1]

Foto: Jacob van Essen

LEEUWARDEN – Mayor of Leeuwarden, Ferd. J.M. Crone hosted Eric Blomqvist and me at the city hall. We had a chance to talk about students and many other things. According to the Mayor students are a big part of the city and they are so important for the atmosphere in Leeuwarden. More