Across the river De Murk near Gytsjerk you will find the famous Tegeltjesbrug, the Eleven Cities Monument of Friesland.
Eleven Cities Monument 'It Sil Heve' was designed and realized by visual artists Maree Blok and Bas Lugthart. It is a popular location to take photos. There is a small parking space available.
Last bridge before the finish
The Kanterland bridge over De Murk is the last bridge on the Elfstedenroute that the skaters will ride under before they appear at the finish on the Bonke in Leeuwarden. The bridge is covered with thousands of handmade tiles, on which the portraits of skaters who once completed the Elfstedentocht are printed in blue glaze. They have been immortalized with photo, name and year on the Elfstedenmonument.
Heroic names
In the past century, 16 tours have been ridden, with thousands of riders reaching the finish line. Up close you can see all those thousands of portraits of skaters, of acquaintances and unknowns, of young and old, of the past and present. Next to the heroic names of the past are the heroes of today. King Willem-Alexander (who participated in 1986 under the pseudonym W.A. van Buren) also has a tile on the bridge.
Many names become one
The tiles have been selected and applied in such a way that the thousands of small portraits merge into one large image. On the side of the bridge, the image of a group of skaters riding in a long string behind each other then appears vaguely. The further one moves away from the bridge, the clearer the skaters can be seen.
"It sil heve!"
On the street-facing side of the bridge, you can read the phrase "It Sil Heve." These were the legendary words (Frisian for "It’s going to happen") used in 1985 to announce the first Eleven Cities Tour after 22 years.Â
Unveiling
In the summer of 2001, the first part of the Eleven Cities Monument was unveiled. Thousands of photos of Eleven Cities riders were sent for this purpose. After the unveiling, many thousands of people from home and abroad have visited the monument in recent years, including King Willem-Alexander and Máxima.
Next tour
The south side of the monument can only be realized after the next Elfstedentocht. Every skater who completes the tour can send in his or her skating photo.
Vertical clearance
For the water sports enthusiasts among us: the Kanterland bridge has a clearance height of 2.5 m. It is a fixed bridge, so you can only pass under it with a sloop, sup, canoe or lowered mast.
