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35-766: Born in Sneek , De Sitter studied mathematics at the University of Groningen and then joined the Groningen astronomical laboratory. He worked at the Cape Observatory in South Africa (1897–1899). Then, in 1908, De Sitter was appointed to the chair of astronomy at Leiden University . He was director of the Leiden Observatory from 1919 until his death. De Sitter made major contributions to

70-420: A trench . A tatebori ( 竪堀 , lit.   ' vertical moat ' ) is a dry moat dug into a slope. A unejo tatebori ( 畝状竪堀 , lit.   ' furrowed shape empty moat ' ) is a series of parallel trenches running up the sides of the excavated mountain, and the earthen wall, which was also called doi ( 土居 , lit.   ' earth mount ' ) , was an outer wall made of earth dug out from

105-558: A doctor who murders his wife and her lover, is set in Sneek. Moat A moat is a deep, broad ditch dug around a castle , fortification , building , or town, historically to provide it with a preliminary line of defence . Moats can be dry or filled with water. In some places, moats evolved into more extensive water defences, including natural or artificial lakes, dams and sluices . In older fortifications, such as hillforts , they are usually referred to simply as ditches , although

140-657: A key element used in French Classicism and Beaux-Arts architecture dwellings, both as decorative designs and to provide discreet access for service. Excellent examples of these can be found in Newport, Rhode Island at Miramar (mansion) and The Elms , as well as at Carolands , outside of San Francisco, California, and at Union Station in Toronto , Ontario, Canada. Additionally, a dry moat can allow light and fresh air to reach basement workspaces, as for example at

175-1151: A moat. Even today it is common for mountain Japanese castles to have dry moats. A mizubori ( 水堀 , lit.   ' water moat ' ) is a moat filled with water. Moats were also used in the Forbidden City and Xi'an in China; in Vellore Fort in India; Hsinchu in Taiwan ; and in Southeast Asia, such as at Angkor Wat in Cambodia ; Mandalay in Myanmar ; Chiang Mai in Thailand and Huế in Vietnam . The only moated fort ever built in Australia

210-734: A vertical outer retaining wall rising direct from the moat, is an extended usage of the ha-ha of English landscape gardening. In 2004, plans were suggested for a two-mile moat across the southern border of the Gaza Strip to prevent tunnelling from Egyptian territory to the border town of Rafah . In 2008, city officials in Yuma, Arizona planned to dig out a two-mile stretch of a 180-hectare (440-acre) wetland known as Hunters Hole to control immigrants coming from Mexico. Researchers of jumping spiders , which have excellent vision and adaptable tactics, built water-filled miniature moats, too wide for

245-528: A very central part of their cities, the moats have provided a vital waterway to the city. Even in modern times the moat system of the Tokyo Imperial Palace consists of a very active body of water, hosting everything from rental boats and fishing ponds to restaurants. Most modern Japanese castles have moats filled with water, but castles in the feudal period more commonly had 'dry moats' karabori ( 空堀 , lit.   ' empty moat ' ) ,

280-678: Is a city southwest of Leeuwarden and the seat of the former municipality of Sneek in the province of Friesland , Netherlands . As of 2011 it is the seat of the municipality of Súdwest-Fryslân (Southwest Friesland). The city had approximately 33,855 inhabitants in January ;2017. Sneek is situated in Southwest Friesland, close to the Sneekermeer , and is well known for its canals, the Waterpoort ( Watergate ,

315-423: Is a factory of Yoshida YKK from Kurobe . Besides that, the supermarket branch Poiesz , clothing brand Gaastra and Frisian gin called beerenburg from Weduwe Joustra are products that have their roots in Sneek. Sneek is well known as the center of watersports with over 130 watersport companies and 13 Marinas . It also has a historic inner city replete with houses of old upper-class families. By road, Sneek

350-607: Is connected to the A7 motorway and N354 Buses and trains in the town are operated by Arriva . Sneek is connected to other cities by four main waterways: Houkesloot , leading to the Prinses Margrietkanaal; River de Geeuw , leading to IJlst; de Zwette , leading to Leeuwarden; Franekervaart , leading to Franeker. In 2010 there will be a Cultural Quarter, The municipality has made plans to connect various Cultural areas into one big Cultural Quarter. The total costs of

385-676: The Dutch language before 1600. Snekers is part of the Stadsfries dialects . The clothing store C&A started in 1841 with a store in Sneek. The Candyfactory Leaf produces Peppermint under the name KING  [ nl ] as well as chewing gum (Sportlife) and various other sweets. The name "KING" has nothing to do with the English word 'king'; it stands for Kwaliteit in niets geëvenaard ("Quality equaled by nothing"). Sneek also has steel, machinery and rope factories. Since 1964 there

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420-742: The James Farley Post Office in New York City . Whilst moats are no longer a significant tool of warfare, modern architectural building design continues to use them as a defence against certain modern threats, such as terrorist attacks from car bombs and improvised fighting vehicles . For example, the new location of the Embassy of the United States in London , opened in 2018, includes a moat among its security features -

455-749: The Mississippian culture as the outer defence of some fortified villages. The remains of a 16th-century moat are still visible at the Parkin Archeological State Park in eastern Arkansas . The Maya people also used moats, for example in the city of Becan . European colonists in the Americas often built dry ditches surrounding forts built to protect important landmarks, harbours or cities (e.g. Fort Jay on Governors Island in New York Harbor ). Dry moats were

490-493: The walls . In suitable locations, they might be filled with water. A moat made access to the walls difficult for siege weapons such as siege towers and battering rams , which needed to be brought up against a wall to be effective. A water-filled moat made the practice of mining – digging tunnels under the castles in order to effect a collapse of the defences – very difficult as well. Segmented moats have one dry section and one section filled with water. Dry moats that cut across

525-691: The Frisian warlord and freedom fighter Pier Gerlofs Donia spent his last days in Sneek. Donia died peacefully in bed at Grootzand (Sneek)  [ nl ] 12 on 18 October 1520. Pier is buried in Sneek in the 15th-century Groote Kerk (also called the Martinikerk). His tomb is located on the north side of the church. The city has a shopping center that is walker- and biker-friendly. There are high-end clothing stores, restaurants, bars, music stores, cafes, coffee shops, and an old-fashioned candy store. George Simenon 's 1937 novel L'assassin , about

560-480: The Japanese city of Kurobe have been sister cities . In 1970, Mayor L. Rasterhoff of Sneek visited the city of Kurobe and was named an honorary citizen. Mayor H. Terade of Kurobe made a visit to Sneek in 1972. In 2000 delegations of both cities visited each other again. The Japanese showed the citizens of Sneek a "Sneekplein", which was built in Kurobe. Sneek has its own dialect (called Snekers ) that dates back to

595-465: The crossing site of a dike with an important waterway (called the Magna Fossa in old documents). This waterway was dug when the former Middelzee silted up. The dike can still be traced in the current street pattern and street names like Hemdijk , Oude Dijk , and Oosterdijk . Sneek received several city rights in the 13th century, which became official in 1456. Sneek then became one of

630-510: The eleven Frisian cities. This was also the beginning of a period of blooming trade for the city that would last until about 1550. In 1492 construction of a moat and wall around the city began. In those days Sneek was the only walled city in Friesland. The Waterpoort and the Bolwerk remain today. Before 2011, the city was an independent municipality. Since September 10, 1970, Sneek and

665-463: The excavated ring, a 'dry moat'. The shared derivation implies that the two features were closely related and possibly constructed at the same time. The term moat is also applied to natural formations reminiscent of the artificial structure and to similar modern architectural features. With the introduction of siege artillery , a new style of fortification emerged in the 16th century using low walls and projecting strong points called bastions , which

700-511: The field of physical cosmology . He co-authored a paper with Albert Einstein in 1932 in which they discussed the implications of cosmological data for the curvature of the universe. He also came up with the concept of the De Sitter space and De Sitter universe , a solution for Einstein's general relativity in which there is no matter and a positive cosmological constant . This results in an exponentially expanding, empty universe. De Sitter

735-704: The first moat built in England for more than a century. Modern moats may also be used for aesthetic or ergonomic purposes. The Catawba Nuclear Station has a concrete moat around the sides of the plant not bordering a lake. The moat is a part of precautions added to such sites after the September 11, 2001 attacks . Moats, rather than fences, separate animals from spectators in many modern zoo installations. Moats were first used in this way by Carl Hagenbeck at his Tierpark in Hamburg , Germany. The structure, with

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770-470: The function is similar. In later periods, moats or water defences may be largely ornamental. They could also act as a sewer. Some of the earliest evidence of moats has been uncovered around ancient Egyptian fortresses. One example is at Buhen , a settlement excavated in Nubia . Other evidence of ancient moats is found in the ruins of Babylon, and in reliefs from ancient Egypt, Assyria , and other cultures in

805-408: The largest single archaeological phenomenon on the planet. Japanese castles often have very elaborate moats, with up to three moats laid out in concentric circles around the castle and a host of different patterns engineered around the landscape. The outer moat of a Japanese castle typically protects other support buildings in addition to the castle. As many Japanese castles have historically been

840-540: The narrow part of a spur or peninsula are called neck ditches . Moats separating different elements of a castle, such as the inner and outer wards, are cross ditches . The word was adapted in Middle English from the Old French motte ( lit.   ' mound, hillock ' ) and was first applied to the central mound on which a castle was erected (see Motte and bailey ) and then came to be applied to

875-499: The plans are about €35,000,000 and include The Culture Award of Sneek is called The Silver Ball and has been awarded 11 times. The award is given annually to a person that has done an improvement/good job on the areas of Music and Culture for Sneek and its surroundings. Some of the winners are: Sneek has eleven primary schools and three high schools. Sneek has around 14,000 houses. Half of those houses are rental houses. There are new projects in different neighbourhoods. In 1519–1520,

910-426: The region. Evidence of early moats around settlements has been discovered in many archaeological sites throughout Southeast Asia, including Noen U-Loke, Ban Non Khrua Chut, Ban Makham Thae and Ban Non Wat. The use of the moats could have been either for defensive or agriculture purposes. Moats were excavated around castles and other fortifications as part of the defensive system as an obstacle immediately outside

945-489: The spiders to jump across. Some specimens were rewarded for jumping then swimming and others for swimming only. Portia fimbriata from Queensland generally succeeded, for whichever method they were rewarded. When specimens from two different populations of Portia labiata were set the same task, members of one population determined which method earned them a reward, whilst members of the other continued to use whichever method they tried first and did not try to adapt. As

980-513: The symbol of the city), and watersports (hosting the annual Sneekweek , the largest sailing event on inland European waterways). Sneek is one of the Friese elf steden ("Eleven cities of Friesland"). The city is very important in the southwestern part of Friesland (called the Zuidwesthoek , or Southwest Corner ). Sneek was founded in the 10th century as Chud on a sandy peninsula at

1015-727: The world's largest man-made structure. Fred Pearce wrote in New Scientist: They extend for some 16,000 kilometres in all, in a mosaic of more than 500 interconnected settlement boundaries. They cover 6,500 square kilometres and were all dug by the Edo people. In all, they are four times longer than the Great Wall of China, and consumed a hundred times more material than the Great Pyramid of Cheops. They took an estimated 150 million hours of digging to construct, and are perhaps

1050-517: Was Fort Lytton in Brisbane . As Brisbane was much more vulnerable to attack than either Sydney or Melbourne a series of coastal defences was built throughout Moreton Bay , Fort Lytton being the largest. Built between 1880 and 1881 in response to fear of a Russian invasion, it is a pentagonal fortress concealed behind grassy embankments and surrounded by a water-filled moat. Moats were developed independently by North American indigenous people of

1085-655: Was a Dutch sociologist Ulbo de Sitter (1930 – 2010). Another son of Willem, Aernout de Sitter (1905 – 15 September 1944), was the director of the Bosscha Observatory in Lembang , Indonesia (then the Dutch East Indies), where he studied the Messier 4 globular cluster . Sneek Sneek ( Dutch pronunciation: [sneːk] ; West Frisian : Snits [snɪts] )

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1120-700: Was also well-known for his research on the motions of the moons of Jupiter , invited to give the George Darwin Lecture at the Royal Astronomical Society in 1931. Willem de Sitter died after a brief illness in November 1934. In 1912, he became a member of the Royal Netherlands Academy of Arts and Sciences . One of his sons, Ulbo de Sitter (1902 – 1980), was a Dutch geologist, and one of Ulbo's sons

1155-543: Was considered the largest man-made structure lengthwise, second only to the Great Wall of China and the largest earthwork in the world. Recent work by Patrick Darling has established it as the largest man-made structure in the world, larger than Sungbo's Eredo , also in Nigeria. It enclosed 6,500 km (2,500 sq mi) of community lands. Its length was over 16,000 km (9,900 mi) of earth boundaries. It

1190-660: Was estimated that earliest construction began in 800 and continued into the mid-15th century. The walls are built of a ditch and dike structure, the ditch dug to form an inner moat with the excavated earth used to form the exterior rampart. The Benin Walls were ravaged by the British in 1897. Scattered pieces of the walls remain in Edo, with material being used by the locals for building purposes. The walls continue to be torn down for real-estate developments. The Walls of Benin City were

1225-461: Was known as the trace italienne . The walls were further protected from infantry attack by wet or dry moats, sometimes in elaborate systems. When this style of fortification was superseded by lines of polygonal forts in the mid-19th century, moats continued to be used for close protection. The Walls of Benin were a combination of ramparts and moats, called Iya, used as a defence of the capital Benin City in present-day Edo State of Nigeria. It

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