For the Eleven Cities project, Hans Wilschut took his inspiration from old sketches and drawings from the collection of the Fries Museum Leeuwarden. In the 17th and especially in the 18th century, draftsmen travelled through Friesland to sketch on paper the appearance of towns, villages, streets and important buildings. Until the advent of photography, the urban landscape was captured in this way. The drawings and paintings create a picture of how the cities developed over time.
With the commission from the Fries Museum to photographer Hans Wilschut to portray the cities of Friesland, this tradition is restored. Wilschut shows a contemporary view of the thirteen Frisian cities of today. And he offers a special perspective. Literally, because he took the photos from a mobile platform. Figuratively, because he mainly pays attention to places of transformation. In addition to the traditional eleven cities, he also portrays Drachten and Heerenveen, places that can no longer be called a village.