SKATING THROUGH 11 CITIES

Edmund Bacon in his seminal book, Design of Cities, explained how Sequential Vision is important in the way we experience cities. Not as a view from one place, but as a series of views and experiences resulting from a line of movement. Thus in a little Italian hill town, the enclosed central square is charming not only because it is by itself intrinsically beautiful and well-proportioned, but also because, as one moves away from the square through the narrow streets and exits from an arched gateway at the end, an expanse of open landscape is suddenly revealed. The tight urban quality is appreciated more due to its contrast with the openness of the landscape around it.

In conventional Dutch cities, the movement was traditionally over water. This was before the advent of the horse-drawn carriage or the automobile. The structure of canals and other waterways formed the lines of movement over which Dutch cities were approached and experienced. The structure of cities like Amsterdam is based on the lines of movement over water and the placement of warehouses along them: purely functional structures that also have aesthetic merit. Historic Dutch cities like Dordrecht and Zaltbommel had their main entry to the city through a gate facing the river. The Groothoofdpoort in Dordrecht located strategically at the confluence of two rivers, offers a great experience for those entering the city over water.

Waterways have not only been the traditional way of transportation within the cities, but also between cities. And if there is one part of Netherlands where this is most obvious, it’s in the province of Friesland where there is an over-abundance of water. The lakes and canals of Friesland are popular with the locals and tourists for water-sports in summer and skating in winter.

The most famous of these sporting events is the ‘Elfstedentocht’ (The Eleven Cities Tour). When harsh winters freeze the freshwater canals, the province holds a skating marathon of nearly 200 kms., which connects eleven historic Friesian cities.

Since this is all in the hands of mother nature, there is no knowing when the tour will take place

Starting in the provincial capital city of Leeuwarden, the tour follows a route over frozen  canals, rivers and lakes to Sneek, IJist, Sloten, Stavoren, Hindeloopen, Workum, Bolsward, Harlingen, Franeker and Dokkum, and then finally returns to Leeuwarden. Since thousands of participants take part in this tour, it is only held in those years when the quality of ice is guaranteed throughout the 200 km. route. And since this is all in the hands of mother nature, there is no knowing when the tour will take place.

While there seem to have been instances of individuals skating on this route since the middle of the 18th century, the first organised competition was held in 1909, when 22 men took part. Since then, however, the interest and attraction of this unique event has grown steadily. The last Elfstedentocht was held in 1997, 300 professionals took part in the race and nearly 16,000 amateurs participated in the tour. Millions followed the progress of the race.

Every year, as the serious winter weather sets in and sub-zero temperatures are reached with some consistency, the whispers of anticipation grow into an ice-fever that grips the Netherlands as thousands of ice-skaters start preparing to join the tour.

The degree to which this multi-city event dominates the news in the country is quite unique. As the chances of the tour taking place increase, the news is dominated more and more by the quality of ice along the 200 km. route. In homes, offices and bars the talk is only about whether the winter will set in fully, if it will be cold enough for the water to freeze evenly, whether it will snow and if the snow-blanket will be too thick thus hampering ice formation, and whether the ice will reach the necessary 15 cms. of thickness along the entire 200 km. stretch.

A group of 22 ice-masters or district-heads is given the responsibility of determining the quality of ice; their faces and those of their chairman become a common sight on the national news as they go about their task. Standing on a frozen canal, while one ice-master announces that his stretch is ready for the race, another ice-master pin-points the weak spots in his district and the measures he is considering to improve the quality.

That the whole country is smitten by the possibility of the Elfstedentocht taking place is evident from the Dutch Prime Minister Mark Rutte’s statement about the build-up to a possible race in 2012: “Once every 15 years our country is not governed from The Hague (the seat of the Dutch Parliament), but by 22 district heads in Friesland. And our country is in good hands.”

When the Elfstedentocht actually does take place it is a time to rejoice for those who have waited for years to put on their skates. Much has been written about the icy winds one has to fight on the 200 km. route and the only way to finish the route is by being part of a group. Great grit and sacrifice is needed for it. And while the shortest recorded time to complete the tour has been 6 hours and 49 minutes (by the winner of the 1997 tour and national hero, Henk Angenent), the majority need anywhere between 10 and 20 hours to complete the circuit. People from all walks of life take part. In 1986, the 18-year-old Prins Willem Alexander participated and completed the tour. So did scientist Ben Feringa (who became a Nobel Laureate in 2016) in 1997. On receiving the Nobel Prijs Ben Feringa said, “Of course the Nobel Prijs is fantastic, but the Elfstedenmedal…”

While reams have been written by those who have taken part in these races, some races have become legendary. The Elfstedentocht of 1963 became known as ‘the Hell of 1963’ because the winter conditions were so severe that only 69 of the 10,000 participants managed to finish the race. The winner in 1963, Reinier Paping, barely managed to finish the race as he was blinded by snow. Many contestants suffered frostbite, damaged eyes and limbs.

So while it is nature that decides if the race can take place, when the Elfstedentocht actually does happen, the cities in the circuit become the centre of attraction for the entire nation with thousands lining the 200 km. stretch and the media going all out to cover the event. The roads abutting the canals in the cities become gathering places for supporters, the banks of rivers act as raised platforms and the bridges serve as balconies. The urban experience of the cities on the tour changes totally. For the skaters too, the 11 cities on the route are experienced in a remarkable sequential vision that Edmund Bacon could hardly have imagined.

Shyam Khandekar is an architect, urban designer and planner by training. He is the Co-Founder and Editorial Director of MyLiveableCity.

All Photos: Wikimedia Commons