Jomoud's Fotothing

My 2008 trip to Holland

VIANEN

Each Wednesday afternoon is market in Vianen.
Few residents realize that this is a continuation of one of the privileges that the City obtained when it received its City Rights in 1336.

A favourite treat at the market are fresh warm "stroopwafels".
The stroopwafel (syrup wafers) consist of two thin fresh baked and very tasty wafers with a thin layer of caramel syrup in between.
Believe me, they are YUMMY!!!!!

Privileges obtained with the granting of City Rights.

City walls (the right to erect a defence wall around an inhabited area)
Market right (the right to hold a market and receive income from the markets)
Storage right (the right to store and exclusively trade particular goods, often only granted to a few cities)
Toll right (the right to charge toll)
Mint right (the right to mint city coinage)
Freedoms
Personal freedom (citizens had a relative degree of personal freedom in comparison to citizens of rural areas: they were not subject to the liegelord and had freedom of mobility) — Hence the old saying Stadslucht maakt vrij ('City air makes free').
Governance
City governance (Well-to-do citizens could sometimes elect local government officials)
Judiciary and law making (Within its boundaries the city could have a large degree of autonomy)
Taxation (the right to levy taxes)