It is said that if you listen carefully while standing on the shore of Lake Tjeukemeer, you can hear women’s voices calling: “Tsjûke! Marchje! Tsjûke! Marchje...” The statue of two ‘suskes’ (the Frisian word for ‘sisters’) on the foot and cycle path on the south bank of Lake Tjeukemeer near the former steam-powered pumping station in Echten tells the tragic story of Tsjûke and Marchje. Together they had a farm on land that is now under the waters of the lake. One hot summer evening, the woodland next to their farm caught fire. With no rain for a long time, the nearby ditch had dried up. Having no other choice, Tsjûke and Marchje tried to fight the fire with buckets of fresh milk. But the heat quickly dried up the moisture in the milk and the milk fat simply fuelled the fire. Separated by the smoke and the flames, the women called out to each other desperately. This is said to be how Lake Tjeukemeer got its name.
