Eleven cities tours in the 19th century
Lolkema (2006) mentions that a person wrote In 1763 in a local newspaper "The Frisians have a reputation of being good skaters and it is true that a good skater can skate in one day a distance three times longer than that a horse could make running at full speed. It happened sometimes that a good skater, skating, in one day saw eleven cities of Friesland. But in this case he cannot linge in any of these and the ice must be in a good condition. "
In the nineteenth century skating the Eleven Cities Tour became a popular activity. In 1809 the newspaper published for the first time the names of participants in the tour of the eleven cities of Friesland. Pals Visser and Pals Bleekma made the 200-kilometres tour in 14 and a half hours. In the next years, the local news paper regularly published the names of the people who completed the route of the Eleven Cities. The winter of 1890/1891 was a top year. A bar owner in Hindenloopen signed on January 1 the papers of 77 people who tried to do the Eleven cities tour. Two days later he signed the papers of even more than 80 people (Ron Couwenhoven Een eeuw Elfstedentocht)
One of the people who did the tour in that winter was Pim Mulier, a member of the association for physical health, contributed in a special way to the development of the later official tour.
In the nineteenth century skating the Eleven Cities Tour became a popular activity. In 1809 the newspaper published for the first time the names of participants in the tour of the eleven cities of Friesland. Pals Visser and Pals Bleekma made the 200-kilometres tour in 14 and a half hours. In the next years, the local news paper regularly published the names of the people who completed the route of the Eleven Cities. The winter of 1890/1891 was a top year. A bar owner in Hindenloopen signed on January 1 the papers of 77 people who tried to do the Eleven cities tour. Two days later he signed the papers of even more than 80 people (Ron Couwenhoven Een eeuw Elfstedentocht)
One of the people who did the tour in that winter was Pim Mulier, a member of the association for physical health, contributed in a special way to the development of the later official tour.
This skater wrote a book called ” Wintersport” that reports about all kinds of winter sport activities including his description of his own eleven cities tour. He writes in his own style which is difficult to translate but here follows his description of the start of his tour :
“For quite some time I had the wish to undertake this tour and especially to improve the tour record. December 20, having gone to bed early in hotel Weidema, I was waken up the next morning at 6 o´clock by a waiter. I had my back and legs rubbed in with arnica, put on my tricot and belongings. I was wearing a vest over my sweater in order to prevent too much attention. A thick woollen cap on my hat gave me the elegance typical of Frisian skippers. With a piece of chocolate, a watch, a pair handkerchiefs, some guilders, a knife, straps and an extra skate on my back I was ready to start exactly at
7 o´clock on the small canal in front of the hotel. I went to the left to get to the Ee (which leads to Dokkum) but I ended up in a ditch that led to a skating track. A baker indicated me the way and so I reached the Ee. First the ice was illuminated by the city lights but afterwards it was very dark. The ice was terrible. It was an old track with a lot of holes and bubbles on which one could not make a stroke. To prevent the failure of my enterprise by falls, I had put several handkerchiefs around my knees and I had put on thick gloves. Thanks to this my two falls were not fatal. It was very cold but I could not skate myself warm because I could not increase my speed.”
“For quite some time I had the wish to undertake this tour and especially to improve the tour record. December 20, having gone to bed early in hotel Weidema, I was waken up the next morning at 6 o´clock by a waiter. I had my back and legs rubbed in with arnica, put on my tricot and belongings. I was wearing a vest over my sweater in order to prevent too much attention. A thick woollen cap on my hat gave me the elegance typical of Frisian skippers. With a piece of chocolate, a watch, a pair handkerchiefs, some guilders, a knife, straps and an extra skate on my back I was ready to start exactly at
7 o´clock on the small canal in front of the hotel. I went to the left to get to the Ee (which leads to Dokkum) but I ended up in a ditch that led to a skating track. A baker indicated me the way and so I reached the Ee. First the ice was illuminated by the city lights but afterwards it was very dark. The ice was terrible. It was an old track with a lot of holes and bubbles on which one could not make a stroke. To prevent the failure of my enterprise by falls, I had put several handkerchiefs around my knees and I had put on thick gloves. Thanks to this my two falls were not fatal. It was very cold but I could not skate myself warm because I could not increase my speed.”
This was the start of his description of his tour. He was not living in Friesland, therefore he did not know exactly how to go from city to city. To go from Leeuwarden to Dokkum and back was simple but from there he needed help. So he had asked people to guide him. One of them was mister Hofstede, the chairman of the ” Frieze IJsbond” who I will describe later. He guided Pim Mulier from Leeuwarden till Harlingen. Mulier wrote about this.
“We left Leeuwarden together at 10.20 and were 10.50 in Franeker and continued immediately to Harlingen where we arrived at 11.20. Mister Hoftstede is a tough muscular skater but his stroke was a bit different from mine which is rather tiring. Having thanked him for his help I went on to Bolsward.”
From here onwards he was guided by a boatman, Tuininga. In each city he asked somebody to register the time in a booklet (pass) and to provide their signature in order to indicate that he passed this city. That also happened in Bolward.
“ While my pass in Bolsward was signed by my nephew J.Haitsma Mulier, in Workum J.Sensma, innkeeper in the Zwaan, signed. Now, with full steam ahead to Hindenloopen, where we drew a lot of attention because of the speed at which we entered the town. The older widow Boer in the “Wijnberg” signed my pass. I still have her gracious signature. At 2 o´clock we left again after my guide Tuininga and me enjoyed scrambled eggs. After that we had a difficult time to Stavoren, because of the amount of snow on the ice. At 2.50 we entered its station, we again we ate something because we both were very hungry. The station master signed the paper.”
“After having eaten a bouillon and a couple of eggs with bread in a very short time we moved on again. Tuininga started to get a bit tired so that, now and then, I skated in the first position but not as fast as I could. My loyal guide took me over the lakes and over the inundated land via Balk on the way to Sloten. What a beautiful site. Just when we had left the woods of Gaasterland, that made you think of the nature of Gelderland, we arrived at the big lakes. The sun went down with a blood red colour und the moon illuminated the endless ice field. In the middle of the lake there were several big cracks in the ice of half a meter wide in the ice and as far as one could see. This is caused by the temperature changes which make the ice volume decrease and increase and moves. if the frost is very severe the ice explodes with a loud bang. These pieces are called “Kisten”. It was a beautiful view. There were some bridge keepers with lights to indicate the places where the cracks were.
“We left Leeuwarden together at 10.20 and were 10.50 in Franeker and continued immediately to Harlingen where we arrived at 11.20. Mister Hoftstede is a tough muscular skater but his stroke was a bit different from mine which is rather tiring. Having thanked him for his help I went on to Bolsward.”
From here onwards he was guided by a boatman, Tuininga. In each city he asked somebody to register the time in a booklet (pass) and to provide their signature in order to indicate that he passed this city. That also happened in Bolward.
“ While my pass in Bolsward was signed by my nephew J.Haitsma Mulier, in Workum J.Sensma, innkeeper in the Zwaan, signed. Now, with full steam ahead to Hindenloopen, where we drew a lot of attention because of the speed at which we entered the town. The older widow Boer in the “Wijnberg” signed my pass. I still have her gracious signature. At 2 o´clock we left again after my guide Tuininga and me enjoyed scrambled eggs. After that we had a difficult time to Stavoren, because of the amount of snow on the ice. At 2.50 we entered its station, we again we ate something because we both were very hungry. The station master signed the paper.”
“After having eaten a bouillon and a couple of eggs with bread in a very short time we moved on again. Tuininga started to get a bit tired so that, now and then, I skated in the first position but not as fast as I could. My loyal guide took me over the lakes and over the inundated land via Balk on the way to Sloten. What a beautiful site. Just when we had left the woods of Gaasterland, that made you think of the nature of Gelderland, we arrived at the big lakes. The sun went down with a blood red colour und the moon illuminated the endless ice field. In the middle of the lake there were several big cracks in the ice of half a meter wide in the ice and as far as one could see. This is caused by the temperature changes which make the ice volume decrease and increase and moves. if the frost is very severe the ice explodes with a loud bang. These pieces are called “Kisten”. It was a beautiful view. There were some bridge keepers with lights to indicate the places where the cracks were.
In the distance we saw a few lights and some trees close to two big bridges: “there we have to go but you should not skate so diabolically fast” said Tuininga. Finally we had passed the lakes and the inundated land and arrived 4.45 in Sloten where my honorable nephew Haersma de Wit signed my pass with the at that moment impossible question: Are you staying for dinner? However we went on, now in the direction of IJlst where we arrived at 5.50 Here, I said goodbye to my loyal guide and after having paid him and a firm handshake I was exactly at 6 o´clock in the city inn of IJlst, controlled by J.S. Heslinga and 6.15 I was in Sneek. There I had a beautiful track in front of me and I aas skating as fast as I could. From some farmers that I passed I got bad remarks but that makes a person angry and then one goes even faster. In Sneek G.S. Bokma signed and at 6.25 I went dawn from the plank with straw (put there for protection of the skates) to get on the track again. In the meantime the moon was hidden behind the clouds and while I was skating as fast as I could I had to take care that I would not fall. Around 7.45 I saw the lights of Leeuwarden and moved my arms from my back and cheerfully swinging my arms I reached the end of the canal. In the hotel Weidema my very dirty pass was signed by the waiter who had not expected me before 9.30 as he said. Hence the whole tour was done in 12 hours and 55 minutes. Hardly ever I have had such a nice day.”
Pim Mulier has been very active in the Netherlands to promote sport. He was one of the founders of several sports clubs but also one of the promotors of the "elfstedentocht" . Besides that he was the first chairman of the International Skating Union, ISU, which still now organizes the world and European championships in different form of skating.
Pim Mulier has been very active in the Netherlands to promote sport. He was one of the founders of several sports clubs but also one of the promotors of the "elfstedentocht" . Besides that he was the first chairman of the International Skating Union, ISU, which still now organizes the world and European championships in different form of skating.