Family Page

FAMILY PAGE – February bulletin

Ice Skating in Amsterdam

If the diehard skaters are to be believed, there is a slim chance we will be skating on the canals this month. And if you are a boat owner be warned of the rarely-enforced but seasonally-appropriate winter regulations. For example, if it does freeze in the City for a couple of days and a thin layer of ice forms, then boats are banned! However, it has been ten years since the ice was thick enough for the historical elfstedentocht (11 city tour) ice skating competition to be held.

In the meantime, if you don’t get a chance to skate on a canal there are still opportunities to partake in that very Dutch sport elsewhere. The Jaap Eden 400m outside skating lane and indoor ice hall are open (Sat.12-16.20 and Sun.10.40-16.20 for more times in the week check the website). They even have a Saturday night disco skate (be the first BritSoc member to give a review!) The Museumplein rink is also still open until the end of February. You can hire skates at both places.

Amsterdam has a long skating tradition. In the 19th century the first ice rinks were set up after complaints from walkers in the Vondelpark about the unsociable behaviour of the ice skaters. The first official World Championship was held on the Museumplein in 1889 and Jaap Eden won gold. Then in 1961 the 400-meter Jaap Eden baan (named for the champion) was opened. In the early days local police had to keep order as people stormed the entrance to get in!

If you prefer a cosy winter afternoon or more sedentary pasttimes you could always check out the virtual ice skating museum which has an English translation and is run by a Dutch enthusiast.

February 25th

On February 25th the general strike of 1941 will be commemorated at the Dockworkers monument at the Jonas Daniel Meyer square near the Waterlooplein. On that date during the occupation, Amsterdam came almost to a standstill following protests against the German occupying forces and their treatment of the Jewish community. By this time all Jews had to carry ID and were excluded from public functions, hotels and bars. Eventually the Jewish neighbourhoods were closed off and on the 22nd and 23rd of February 1941 deportations began (initially over 400 men). This sparked the strike in Amsterdam. After an open air meeting at the Noordermarkt, all workers set down their tools; there was no transport and the shops closed representing one of the largest single acts of resistance against the occupying forces. Sometimes it is hard to imagine that the Netherlands was occupied less than 70 years ago.

Chinese New Year

On a more cheerful note… if you don’t feel you saw enough fireworks at New Year or you just want to celebrate it over again or maybe have another go at making resolutions, why not join in with the Chinese lunar new year festivities? This marks the year of the Rat and will be celebrated on Saturday 9th February at the Nieuwmarkt from 10am until 6pm.

Janette Soest

February Tips for Trips at a glance

www.jaapeden.nl – Amsterdam’s 400 metre skating rink plus indoor hall

www.iceskatesmuseum.com – the virtual ice skating museum

www.chineesnieuwjaarfestival.nl – English button on site. Check out the agenda for 9th Feb

Family Page Archive

December 2007
November 2007
October 2007
September 2007
August 2007