The series of Film Archives, new footage of the Elfstedentochten of 1954, and in 1956 it was discovered. It’s going to be two of the kleurenfilmpjes to a Frisian trader, who, with a 16 mm camera, the front-runners began to cross the finish line. It is the world’s oldest-known images of the ‘Tour of Tours’.

in The archive, it brings the images together with Broadcasting, Friesland, on 3 February, at the outside, because it’s exactly 66 years ago this was the Race of the 1954 season.

of The 16 mm footage was discovered after the daughter of the filmmaker, Hope Achtergracht in the extensive film library of her father, the Frisian Film Archive was established. The most important films in the collection are in the archives have been digitized.

The kleurenfilmpje in 1954, it takes more than two minutes, and it shows, especially of the images of the racers. The pictures start off in Harlingen, where the group of six-the eventual winner Jeen van den Berg, marks near the Oosterbrug. Then grabbed the Achtergracht with the group again at the Noorderbolwerk in the Netherlands.

“This is a real gem of the collection,”

the Following is a brief shot of the front of the race, that the Netherlands is reached, and we’re Achtergracht, more than a half a minute to go in the crowded train station in Leeuwarden, the netherlands. In the final round of the contest is, unfortunately, not Achtergracht to the camera, but the images are still available in the Polygon store. In these images, it is also a film-maker to be seen.

The kleurenfilmpje in 1956, it is a little shorter. The pictures are starting to Sneek in, where the front of the race on the bad ice, slog. After a couple of flashes of a klunende group is going to be the film with the arrival in the Capital. Of the five riders in the lead group had decided to pool together their arms linked across the finish line to go.

The material of the Achtergracht will contain even more images of the various big Friesian ijsevenementen of the time, such as the Elfmerentochten from 1954 to 1956, and arresleewedstrijden on the lake and after a swim of excellent tactical and technical skills of 1955 on the Vessel, which at the time was a natural ice rink was. The Frisian Film Archive, calls the acquisition “a lovely collection”.