From Where I Stand

First, a little history to set the stage for this next picture and the ones following it.

When the low-lying lands in this region were first populated, the area which is now known as the northern province of Friesland was very, very swampy. Too wet for habitation. For whatever reason, people wanted to live there anyway. So ..... during the yearly season when the water level was lower for a few months, they began building dwelling mounds called "terpen" that they could pitch their tents on and later, build homes, barns and churches on. Over time, the mounds grew and villages came into being. If you are driving around the area, any time you see a town or city with the suffix "um" as is Marrum, Dokkum, etcetera, you know that place was originally built on one of these mounds and you will be able to notice the rise in elevation, usually with a church sitting on the highest point of the ancient mound.

Dokkum is a very old city. Archeological evidence proves habitation there as early as 650 B.C., so it is quite possible that there was civilization there much earlier even than that.

As Dokkum grew, it became a potential target for marauding troops who wanted to attack, conquer and rule it. The residents built a protective wall around it. This picture shows the edge of the old mound, where the wall used to be. At the back of the picture you can see an outcropping of the mound. This area was enclosed within the main wall. There were several of these outcroppings strategically placed around the city, for lookout and defense purposes. The old part of Dokkum is surrounded by water, leaving a perfect visual snapshot of what the old town was like: an island in the swamp, walled and fortified.