The track is open today. Winter in Leeuwarden exhibition

From November 4, 2023 to March 11, 2024 our new exhibition “The track is open today. Winter in Leeuwarden” can be viewed in the Historisch Centrum Leeuwarden.

The time of really harsh winters seems to be a thing of the past. Leeuwarden has a rich history in skating. Think of the famous women's speed skating events of 1805 and 1809 that attracted thousands of spectators, the start and finish of the Elfstedentocht (Eleven Cities Tour) and the international skating competition of 1885 on the Grote Wielen. The older inhabitants in Leeuwarden will still have fond memories of the ice rink on Bleekerstraat or the Huizum ice rink. The highlight was the Nieuwe Leeuwarder Ice Club organized speed skating behind the door, later for the Golden Ball, at the Prinsentuin.

A harsh and long winter also had a downside. Country roads became difficult to pass and sheep traffic came to a standstill. Until the construction of the tail roads and railways, Leeuwarden was virtually isolated from the outside world in winter. A large part of the Leeuwardens suffered abject poverty. For many it was a period of unemployment and the long-term transition to the poor councils.

Leeuwarden also received new residents in the winter. Skippers, the variable floating population, while their ships froze along the canals and quays and the Frisian and exchanged the country estates for a town house on one of the significant streets of Leeuwarden. This exhibition paints a picture of winters of yesteryear in Leeuwarden.

Open every day, check our website for different opening hours.