Beeld van een kiepkerel
Until early last century, thousands of Germans crossed the border every spring to work in the Netherlands.
Take a closer look
As the German area just across the border was less prosperous than the Netherlands, they worked for the Groninger and Frisian farmers as hannekemaaiers (harvest helpers) or toured the villages as 'kiepkerels' (hawkers). They were called kiepkerels because they carried a kiep (basket) full of produce on their backs. The statue of the kiepkerel was made by Hans Mes and has stood at the town hall of Oude Pekela since 1986 to commemorate these traders. Another sculpture by his hand is The Ship's Hunters, which also stands in Oude Pekela.