Subject: Re: toward happier obelisks<br/>
Date: Mar 18, 2001 @ 17:55<br/>
Author: peter.smaardijk@and.com (peter.smaardijk@...)<br/>
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<div id="ygrps-yiv-798613269">Yeah, you caught me out. It is an old church tower.<br/>
<br/>
Still, it brings you back to the early days, when high spires were <br/>
needed in order to see your next point.<br/>
<br/>
Triangulation was really first practised by the Dutch scientist <br/>
Willebrord Snellius (early 17th century), who calculated by this <br/>
method the distance between Alkmaar and Bergen op Zoom.<br/>
<br/>
As it so happens, I went to a highschool named after Snellius.<br/>
<br/>
Peter S.<br/>
<br/>
<blockquote><span title="qreply"> --- In BoundaryPoint@y..., michael donner &lt;m@d...&gt; wrote:<br/>
&gt; what a beautiful & imposing construction this is<br/>
&gt; <br/>
&gt; it fairly suggests the idea of a national cadastral cathedral<br/>
&gt; & a receptacle for a real point of reference to reverence<br/>
&gt; <br/>
&gt; for it seems only natural to enshrine a beginning place<br/>
&gt; & frankly much better to lift it skyward like this than merely to <br/>
encrypt<br/>
&gt; it underground<br/>
&gt; <br/>
&gt; but did they really build the tower to mark the point<br/>
&gt; or did they hail it back into service in old age to hang the grid <br/>
upon its<br/>
&gt; spire<br/>
&gt; after a previous illustrious career in some other capacity<br/>
&gt; <br/>
&gt; <br/>
&gt; also your info here  peter  appears to be the essential missing <br/>
link for<br/>
&gt; really understanding what harry was saying in message 1804 about <br/>
what<br/>
&gt; brendan was saying in message 1794 & earlier<br/>
&gt; <br/>
&gt; for it now seems that one of the routes to the most precise possible<br/>
&gt; determination of the baarle boundary cross point really begins here <br/>
in<br/>
&gt; amersfoort<br/>
&gt; while the other route perhaps begins from the belgian counterpart <br/>
to this<br/>
&gt; monument<br/>
&gt; wherever or whatever that may be<br/>
&gt; <br/>
&gt; i certainly hope you can lead us further along the way here too<br/>
&gt; <br/>
&gt; m<br/>
&gt; <br/>
&gt; <br/>
&gt; & so what if it isnt an obelisk<br/>
&gt; it still wins gold for our greatest uplift so far<br/>
&gt; <br/>
&gt; <br/>
&gt; <br/>
&gt; &gt;<br/>
&gt; &gt;Well, not exactly an obelisk, but this is the centre of the Dutch<br/>
&gt; &gt;triangulation grid as used by the cadaster and the topographical<br/>
&gt; &gt;service: &lt;http://www.vvv-<br/>
amersfoort.com/kunst/architectuur/histor1.htm&gt;<br/>
&gt; &gt;http://www.vvv-amersfoort.com/kunst/architectuur/histor1.htm<br/>
&gt; &gt;<br/>
&gt; &gt;So you could say it is the centre of the Netherlands (although the<br/>
&gt; &gt;geographical centre is somewhere else. I vaguely remember it to be<br/>
&gt; &gt;somewhere near Lunteren). It is the starting point of all <br/>
surveying.<br/>
&gt; &gt;<br/>
&gt; &gt;It used to be X=0 m, Y=0 m. But then they thought it would be <br/>
better<br/>
&gt; &gt;to have only positive co-ordinates in the Netherlands, so they <br/>
moved<br/>
&gt; &gt;the point to the south-west. The grid stayed the same, but the <br/>
tower<br/>
&gt; &gt;nowadays has the co-ordinates X=155000 m, Y=463000 m.<br/>
&gt; &gt;<br/>
&gt; &gt;I visited the tower (Onze Lieve Vrouwetoren) in the city of<br/>
&gt; &gt;Amersfoort last year. As I remember, the X and Y axis are depicted <br/>
on<br/>
&gt; &gt;the ground and radiate from the tower.<br/>
&gt; &gt;<br/>
&gt; &gt;Peter S.<br/>
&gt; &gt;<br/>
&gt; &gt;--- In BoundaryPoint@y..., jane capellaro &lt;j@d...&gt; wrote:<br/>
&gt; &gt;&gt; well thanx for running down that obelisk  peter<br/>
&gt; &gt;&gt; & i do apologize for the horrendously bad query<br/>
&gt; &gt;&gt;<br/>
&gt; &gt;&gt; it was the resemblance between hoogstift & stifter that got me in<br/>
&gt; &gt;dutch &<br/>
&gt; &gt;&gt; czech here simultaneously<br/>
&gt; &gt;&gt;<br/>
&gt; &gt;&gt; seriously glad to learn this is not an olympic contender tho<br/>
&gt; &gt;&gt; since the tallest actual tripoint & boundary obelisk i know of is<br/>
&gt; &gt;the<br/>
&gt; &gt;&gt; little one at us2ctmari<br/>
&gt; &gt;&gt; of which a photo is attached below<br/>
&gt; &gt;&gt;<br/>
&gt; &gt;&gt; taller & more distinctive than this one<br/>
&gt; &gt;&gt; tho i have only half a pic of it & am hoping jack can bail me out<br/>
&gt; &gt;here with<br/>
&gt; &gt;&gt; a good pic because he just visited there last year<br/>
&gt; &gt;&gt; is the commemorative quintiobelisk that stands a short distance<br/>
&gt; &gt;from the<br/>
&gt; &gt;&gt; initial point of the sixth principal meridian of the united <br/>
states<br/>
&gt; &gt;public<br/>
&gt; &gt;&gt; land survey<br/>
&gt; &gt;&gt;<br/>
&gt; &gt;&gt; the actual point it celebrates<br/>
&gt; &gt;&gt; hidden in a crypt beneath a roadway<br/>
&gt; &gt;&gt; is simultaneously also both an interstate & a quadricounty point<br/>
&gt; &gt;&gt; or us2ksne3jerethwa6pm in all  i think  by name<br/>
&gt; &gt;&gt;<br/>
&gt; &gt;&gt; the obelisk is a quinti because lands of 5 states were surveyed<br/>
&gt; &gt;from this<br/>
&gt; &gt;&gt; point of reference<br/>
&gt; &gt;&gt;<br/>
&gt; &gt;&gt; m<br/>
&gt; &gt;&gt;<br/>
&gt; &gt;&gt;<br/>
&gt; &gt;&gt;<br/>
&gt; &gt;&gt; Love,<br/>
&gt; &gt;&gt;      Jane<br/>
&gt; &gt;<br/>
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