The history of the Dutch Crown, the most beautiful stories in a book

“You feel a lot of similarities in the stories, there is a shared history,” says Josien Smit, who contributed to the book as a volunteer. “The battle against the water is a story that we have dealt with throughout the municipality. But we have also written about village festivals. You can find them everywhere, often they are parties with flowers. That really is a connecting factor.”

Smit wrote the book ‘The Story of the Dutch Crown’ together with Jan Eichhorn, Karel Frugte and Frans van Zwam, who are all interested in local history. They spent their free time on the project for two years. “Without history there is no future,” says Frans van Zwam. “I have come across many stories that I knew nothing about. For example, the cultivation of madder in the Groetpolder that was used to color textiles. But also that the church tower of Kolhorn was round until the great fire of 1788. Many houses were then destroyed.”

Text continues below the photo.

Canon

The idea for the book arose during the 10th anniversary of Hollands Kroon. In 2012, the new municipality was born from the municipalities of Niedorp, Wieringen, Wieringermeer and Anna Paulowna. “It was a lot of work. All facts had to be checked. But you also need permission from the owner to use images,” Josien Smit explains. “The power of the canon is that it shows how much history actually happened nearby.”

The book ‘The Story of the Dutch Crown’ will be handed over to museums and historical associations in the municipality tonight during a special meeting in Wieringerwerf. They each take a stack to sell to the public. “I ordered 96 on behalf of Belangen Orgaan Barsingerhorn, but they have all already been sold,” says Frans van Zwam, laughing. “And the nice thing is: I haven’t even had the book in my hands yet.”