Knowledge is power

Anyone who thinks of Friesland thinks of water. The seas, the lakes, the rivers, the canals, the rain ... all have had their influence on Friesland. And all have led to phenomenal knowledge. In areas such as water management, water technology and water recreation. 

Water management has traditionally provided the Frisians with protection and, in terms of knowledge, is a fantastic export product. It has produced icons such as the world-famous Afsluitdijk and the Steam Pumping Station in Lemmer (Unesco World Heritage Site). 

Water technology offers sensational solutions to world problems such as water pollution and energy shortage, and with Wetsus in Leeuwarden, among others, it has a unique research institute that rightly makes the capital Leeuwarden the European Capital of Water Technology. 

Water recreation. In this area too, Friesland is a source of experience and knowledge. Ranging from rich shipbuilding (with deliveries all over the world) to the establishment of beautiful, water-rich recreational areas with all the top facilities that make a stay in Friesland an unforgettable experience! 

All over the world the image is familiar: a healthy black and white cow grazing in a fresh green landscape. No, that is not a dream. It is reality as you find it every day in Friesland. It symbolizes the admirable agricultural knowledge Friesland has. And which is now being fully deployed to make agricultural entrepreneurship more sustainable. 

For example, at the Dairy Campus, where people from all over the world are welcomed every day to inform them about that great knowledge, about the great steps that are being taken toward sustainability, and to take them into the bright future that sustainable agriculture has. 

Because in Friesland one finds the complete chain "from grass to glass" whose knowledge is so important to help solve world problems such as food shortage and climate problems.

Clean skies. Vast landscapes. A healthy population. It makes Friesland the exemplary region par excellence in the transition now underway worldwide. 

Friesland is aware of this. And proves it with initiatives such as Circular Friesland. A unique collaboration between entrepreneurs, education and government with the goal of becoming the most circular region in the world by 2025. An ambition that has already led to many results. 

Through progressive waste processor Omrin, used items are given a new life and sensational inventions are made in the field of energy management. Inventions and knowledge that are applicable almost anywhere in the world and can count on great interest. 

As soon as it begins to freeze in the Netherlands, the question is asked "Would it continue?" This concerns one of the most iconic sporting events in the world: the Frisian Elfstedentocht. 

Unlike an Olympics or World Cup Soccer, no one knows when the next Tocht Der Tochten will be held. It depends on the weather. This uncertainty contributes to the mythical image of the Frisian Eleven Cities Tour, in which 16,000 skaters travel more than 200 kilometers through beautiful countryside and past eleven historic Frisian towns. 

It is an event that makes the world stand still for a day, so to speak, and watch in admiration as the athletes battle with the elements of wind, snow and cold. They are encouraged by all the Frisians and their guests who along the entire route support the skaters with cheers and chants and make this event a worldly celebration!