Sport

Nicolaas Baur captured the scene at the 1809 women’s skating competition in Leeuwarden, for example, and Hendrick Avercamp regularly painted people having fun on the ice in the village of Kampen. These wintry landscapes were also the setting for the playing of kolf, an early predecessor of golf. In warmer seasons people would play kaatsen, a type of handball, on the streets or at special courts – this sport became popular in Friesland as early as in the 12th century. The Rijksmuseum recently acquired a Friesian kaats ball made in 1756. The late 19th century saw a growth in team sports such as cricket, hockey, handball, korfball and especially football. The Dutch national football team’s greatest success – winning the European Championship in 1988 – is etched in the memory of many people in the Netherlands.