Animals of the family

Some of our former friends: Our current house-friends: Bruno [with Rocky the Summer Guest]

Angus, the hero

BRUNO

Enkhuizen, the Netherlands

ENKHUIZEN, the Netherlands, is the home base of the family. The old city, see www.enkhuizen.nl , has a vibrant colonial past and it is also one of the former Hanze cities. In 2006 the city celebrates its 650th birthday; details [only in the Dutch language] can be found at www.enkhuizen650.nl . From over 50.000 inhabitants in de Golden Age the city has shrunk to about 6000 in the late 1800's, principally because of its inability to re-adjust economically after the collapse of its largely gratuitous colonial period. Currently it has about 16000 inhabitants. Enkhuizen, located about 60 km, 40mi, north of Amsterdam, is largely surrounded by a lake, the IJsselmeer, formerly the Zuiderzee.

Enkhuizen is in the region called West-Friesland.

It has five lively harbors and marinas. The city is the home base of reportedly the world´s largest fleet of classical sailing ships,

now mainly kept afloat by rentals and cruises. See www.zeilvaart.com . The rich history of Enkhuizen and the lake has been preserved in an impressive museum: the ZUIDERZEE MUSEUM.

Details at www.zuiderzeemuseum.nl

Next to traditional style indoor expositions, the museum also features an impressive outdoor historical village, consisting of relocated original historical buildings. Some prominent visual features of Enkhuizen: ... the DROMMEDARIS, the identifier of the city ... ... one of the traditional wharfs ... ... the famous pub: BOK ... ... a classical entry of the city

through the traditional locks ... ECONOMICS:

Enkhuizen has never fully recovered economically from the post-colonial collapse.

Remarkably Enkhuizen is the home-base for some of the leading international seed-growers. Watersport-related activities have grown to a certain prominence during the last tenty years.

SOCIETY:

From a sociological point of view,the population of Enkhuizen still shows some of the characteristics of its diversified rich international past and the many, often divisive and centrifugal, external influences. Lack of cohesion is, for example, evidenced by the multitude of 25 still actively practiced different religions that somehow manage to survive, despite the largely secular character of the city. POLITICS:

The local political scene, while mainly populated by a peripheral group of graying actors past their prime, is heavily dominated by several local parties. The general attitute of the population towards politics and politicians can best be described as passive and lackadaisical. A taste of the nature and the level of local discussions and actual matters can be witnessed on the internet site www.praatpaalenkhuizen.nl but this is all in the Dutch language, of course.

CRIME:

The local crime scene principally consists of the occasional bicycle theft, vandalism and the violation of pub-closing hours. Local police-officers, if any, no longer fill the street-scene and principally operate in a retro-active way from a regional base outside the city.

ENKHUIZEN: a great place for kids to grow up in and for most adults a privilege to be part of its community.