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Fryslân (Fryslân in Frisian, Friesland in Dutch) is a
province in the north of the Netherlands and has existed
for more than 2000 years. The capital of Friesland
is Leeuwarden.
Besides the Dutch language people in Friesland speak Frisian.
The English language is also closely related to Frisian.
There is a saying that goes: "As milk is to cheese, the English
are to Frise."
The Frisians have a rich history in building ships, not only in the
past, even now luxury multi-million dollar ships have been built
in Friesland, for people such as Donald Trump, several emirs,
sheiks and kings
The Frisians are great dike-builders. The best known example
might well be the so-called Afsluitdijk, spanning approximately
30 kilometers, as far as we know the longest dike in the world,
with seas on both sides (Northsea and Yssel lake, formerly
known as the Zuider Zee). The dike was completed in 1932,
and has become a touristic attraction.
The province is also famous for its ice skaters and the
Elfstedentocht (Eleven cities tour), an ice skating tour of 200
kilometers. One of the most famous buildings is the ice stadium
'Thialf' in Heerenveen, the first indoor 400 meter iceskating track
in the world. |
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