Holland’s skating tradition
Ulrike Grafberger, Tuesday, March 5, 2013
It’s strange: in a country known for its maritime climate and the mild winters associated with it, skating is one of the most popular sports. Although people settle for artificial ice and ice rinks, the Dutch, however, find true happiness on natural ice: on frozen canals, lakes and ponds, streams and channels.
So where does this love of ice and silver blades come from? I go looking for it and discover that there is even a schaatshistoricus in Holland, an historian whose specialism is the history of ice skating. His name is Marnix Koolhaas, and he willingly and kindly provides me with information.