{"id":182,"date":"2021-02-04T08:07:44","date_gmt":"2021-02-04T08:07:44","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/11fountains.bwhontwerpers.nl\/?page_id=182"},"modified":"2026-03-02T14:55:52","modified_gmt":"2026-03-02T14:55:52","slug":"discover-our-eleven-cities","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"https:\/\/11fountains.nl\/en\/","title":{"rendered":"Discover our eleven cities"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Contemporary artists
immortalize Friesland
in eleven fountains<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n

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Fountains<\/h2>\n <\/div>\n
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Eleven fountains in the eleven Frisian cities, designed by eleven artists from eleven different countries. 11fountains is an international art project for Leeuwarden-Frysl\u00e2n 2018, cultural capital of Europe, conceived and curated by Anna Tilroe. The fountains are ready for a new season in which fog, ice, steam and seawater take the center stage.<\/p>\n <\/div>\n <\/div>\n <\/div>\n\n

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Immortal flowers – Rikka<\/h3>\n Shinji Ohmaki<\/span>\n Discover IJlst<\/a>\n <\/div>\n <\/div>\n
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Peewit <\/h3>\n Lucy & Jorge Orta <\/span>\n Discover Sloten<\/a>\n <\/div>\n <\/div>\n
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The Rampant Lions of Workum<\/h3>\n Cornelia Parker<\/span>\n Discover Workum<\/a>\n <\/div>\n <\/div>\n
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Flora & Fauna<\/h3>\n Shen Yuan<\/span>\n Discover Hindeloopen<\/a>\n <\/div>\n <\/div>\n
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The Fountain of Fortuna<\/h3>\n Stephan Balkenhol<\/span>\n Discover Sneek<\/a>\n <\/div>\n <\/div>\n
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The Bat<\/h3>\n Johan Creten<\/span>\n Discover Bolsward<\/a>\n <\/div>\n <\/div>\n
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The Whale<\/h3>\n Jennifer Allora & Guillermo Calzadilla<\/span>\n Discover Harlingen<\/a>\n <\/div>\n <\/div>\n
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The Oort Cloud<\/h3>\n Jean-Michel Othoniel<\/span>\n Discover Franeker<\/a>\n <\/div>\n <\/div>\n
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Love<\/h3>\n Jaume Plensa<\/span>\n Discover Leeuwarden<\/a>\n <\/div>\n <\/div>\n
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The Fish for Stavoren<\/h3>\n Mark Dion<\/span>\n Discover Stavoren<\/a>\n <\/div>\n <\/div>\n
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The Ice Fountain<\/h3>\n Birthe Leemeijer<\/span>\n Discover Dokkum<\/a>\n <\/div>\n <\/div>\n <\/div>\n <\/div>\n <\/div>\n <\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n\n
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Which theme will you choose?<\/h2>\n <\/div>\n
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In the old days, large linden trees were a place of social gathering in villages, and just like that, each of the 11 fountains forms a central meeting place in \u2018their\u2019 city. Visit them all, or let yourself be inspired on one of the walking routes<\/a> that connect the cities.<\/p>\n <\/div>\n <\/div>\n <\/div>\n\n \n

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Art and churches<\/h3>\n

Friesland has the largest church density of Northern Europe and an equally rich history. An old country steeped in traditions, with people that honour the country and culture with exceptional art, both inside and outside the walls of the museums. This is reflected in the coats of arms, terp churches and art monasteries of the province.<\/p>\n

\n <\/div>\n See fountains<\/a>\n <\/div>\n

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Dream and dare<\/h3>\n

Happiness, love, freedom, good fortune… Characteristics you may not associate the Frisians with, but these sober-minded people have always dared to dream of better times. They never let anyone tell them which king to serve, they refused to give up their language and saw contests and trade opportunities in even the most threatening elements. In other words, they know perfectly well how to make their own happiness.<\/p>\n

\n <\/div>\n See fountains<\/a>\n <\/div>\n

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Nature and climate<\/h3>\n

As our climate changes, the world around us is changing too. We are faced with the disappearance of certain flora and fauna, the seawater rises and dykes are raised in the battle for dry feet. Traditions are fading away. In Friesland, the changes in nature and the climate are deeply felt. There may never again be an Elfstedentocht<\/em>, the famous \u201811 cities ice skating tour\u2019 on the frozen canals that all Frisians and many others dream of…<\/p>\n

\n <\/div>\n See fountains<\/a>\n <\/div>\n

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Sea and trade<\/h3>\n

The Frisians have always had an intense relationship with the sea. As a boundary, it threatens and protects, while also offering great opportunities. Sail it and find new treasures, throw out your net and catch fresh fish, build a harbour and receive people from all over the world to trade with. Even the Vikings knew where to find Friesland and were welcome guests because of their wealth.<\/p>\n

\n <\/div>\n See fountains<\/a>\n <\/div>\n <\/div>\n <\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n

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Inspiration<\/h2>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n
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The experience of 11fountains does not end with a visit to one of the eleven fountains. Discover all the cities and immerse yourself in the background stories with a guide. Or watch the city guide videos of Dokkum, IJlst, Franeker, Leeuwarden and Workum. Keep an eye on 11fountains.nl for future events.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n

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\n \n Blog: Young People Dreaming of the Future\u00a0<\/span>\n <\/a>\n <\/h3>\n\n

Almost immediately after its unveiling in 2018, the residents of Leeuwarden embraced the Love fountain. When an unknown “joker” later applied graffiti to the pure white artwork, it received heavy criticism on social media and in submitted letters.<\/p>\n

\n \n More information<\/span>\n <\/a>\n <\/div>\n <\/div>\n<\/div>
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\n \n From Tree of Life to Prosperity Birds<\/span>\n <\/a>\n <\/h3>\n\n

When one thinks of Hindeloopen, the mind naturally thinks about images of the typical Hindelooper painting style. Shen Yuan, the designer of the Flora & Fauna fountain in Hindeloopen, was also impressed by the craftsmanship and the history of this unique town. <\/p>\n

\n \n More information<\/span>\n <\/a>\n <\/div>\n <\/div>\n<\/div>
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\n \n Site-specific Art by Birthe Leemeijer<\/span>\n <\/a>\n <\/h3>\n\n

Birthe Leemeijer (Amsterdam, 1972) does not create static artworks. Observation, listening, and allowing things to happen are important to her. …<\/p>\n

\n \n More information<\/span>\n <\/a>\n <\/div>\n <\/div>\n<\/div>
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\n \n Historical Harbour City<\/span>\n <\/a>\n <\/h3>\n\n

In the Frisian harbour city of Harlingen lies an eighteen-meter-long sperm whale made of resin. The life-sized artwork is created by Jennifer Allora and Guillermo Calzadilla. They aim to raise awareness about the consequences of globalization and industrialization through their work.<\/p>\n

\n \n More information<\/span>\n <\/a>\n <\/div>\n <\/div>\n<\/div>
Plan your visit<\/span> \n \"\" <\/a>\n
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\n \n Discover the eleven cities of Friesland<\/span>\n <\/a>\n <\/h3>\n\n

Where on earth are cities smaller than villages? Only in Friesland. Our cities thank their title not to their size, …<\/p>\n\n

\n \n Discover the eleven cities<\/span>\n <\/a>\n <\/div>\n <\/div>\n<\/div>
Plan your visit<\/span> \n \"\" <\/a>\n
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\n \n Discover the 11fountains walking routes<\/span>\n <\/a>\n <\/h3>\n\n

An 11fountains walking route is a short route, perfect to explore the city in an afternoon. While walking the route, …<\/p>\n\n

\n \n Discover the walking routes<\/span>\n <\/a>\n <\/div>\n <\/div>\n<\/div>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t
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<\/p>\n<\/div><\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Contemporary artists immortalize Friesland in eleven fountains Inspiration The experience of 11fountains does not end with a visit to one …<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":5677,"parent":0,"menu_order":11,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","template":"","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"class_list":["post-182","page","type-page","status-publish","has-post-thumbnail","hentry"],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"\n11fountains: Europe's largest sculpture garden in Friesland<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"Discover the magic of Friesland's eleven fountains. 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