Elfstedenmonument Tegeltjesbrug - Canterlanswei

Design and implementation visual artist Maree Blok and Bas Lugthart
I.c.w. Royal Society “De Friesche Elf Steden” , Municipality Leeuwarden, Municipality Tytsjerksteradiel and foundation Kunstweurk. Thanks to foundation It Sil heve, Epeos Software, Royal Tichelaar Makkum and tiler A. Planting.

The Monument Elfstedenmonument It Sil heve been designed and realized by the artists Maree Blok and Bas Lugthart on the Kanter landse bridge over the river Murk. This is the last bridge on the Elfstedenroute which the skaters pass for the last few kilometers to the finish in Leeuwarden.
It Sil heve were the words with which in 1985 the first Elfstedentocht after 22 years was announced.

The bridge will be completely covered with thousands of handmade ceramic tiles, on which in blue glaze the portraits are depicted of skaters who ever have succeeded the Elfstedentocht. In the last century, 16 Elfstedentochten have been held, in which thousands of riders succeeded finishing the race over 200km. They can as a (skate) photo, name and date (s) of the journey (s) that they have racked, immortalized on the Eleven Cities Monument.

Heroical names
Up close, one can see all those thousands of portraits of skaters, famous and unfamous, young and old, from the past and present. Besides the heroic names from the past are depicted the heroes of today.
With all those names and faces also the stories and memories revives with anyone who has the accomplished the tour, or who were a cold whitnes of the evenement.

Last bridge before the finish froms triumphal arch
The exact place of every tile is selected by means of the computer in such a way that, at a greater distance from the bridge, the thousands of small portraits fuse into a single large performance. On the side of the bridge will appear the image of a group of skaters who are skating behind each other in a long chain. The further one moves away from the bridge, the more clearly becomes the image of the skaters.
This image of a line skaters who help each other to overcome the cold head wind, is a characteristic image of the Elfstedentocht. The last bridge before the finish forms a triumphal arch for all those who have ever suceeded the Elfstedentocht and is a striking symbol for all these iceskaters which succeeded in bridging the trip along the eleven Frisian cities.

Elfstedenmonument unveiled
In the summer of 2001, after several years of preparation the first part of the Elfstedenmonument was unveiled. Thousands of pictures of Elfstedenriders were sent for this purpose. Both old photos from the beginning of the last century of skaters, who participated in the first tour in 1909, als also pictures of the last trip in 1997. In total, so far there are over 7000 Eleven riders depicted on the bridge. Since the unveiling many thousands of people from home and abroad visited the monument, including Prince Willem-Alexander and Prinses Maxima. Many stories told and many experiences shared.
The south side of the monument will be realized after the next Elfstedentocht is held. Every skater who finishes the Elfstedentocht than can sign and send his or her skating picture to be depicted on the monument.