The French Army had, in accordance with Napoleon's strategic views, built roads everywhere in the former Holy Roman Empire, where they had not previously lain (obviously with a military purpose in mind).
(…) Around one thirty they boarded the carriage, and will drive via Ootmarssum, Northoorn etc, with additional post letters to Lubeck, where they are expected to arrive within three days.
With the rise of the steam train and the steamboat in the 19th century, the land trade route disappeared, and with it the adventurous and often dangerous trips by horse and covered wagon.
The Vriezenveners formed a tight-knit community there because of the common group interests, the combined journeys, their religion and the mutual family ties.
[4] In recent years, an eastern ring road for the town of Vriezenveen has been constructed, dubbed the Rusluieweg (English: Rusluie street).
The ringroad was built for the further development of Vriezenveen's southeast area, and is a general reminder to the once wealthy merchants from the same town, of times long gone by.
The most important commodities the Vriezenveners sold were Textiles, but there was also a lively trade in wine, tobacco, tea, cocoa and Flowers.
The companies from Vriezenveen and their respective shop premises were not confined to the Great Gostiny Dvor; The firm Ten Cate & Co owned a cigar shop on the corner of the Nevsky Prospekt and Velikaya Morskaya Ulitsa, which was so well known that Tsars Alexander II and III personally came to get their cigars there.
In addition to being a shop owner, Kruys was also a representative for Blooker's cocoa, and traveled thousands of kilometres through European Russia to sell this precious commodity, previously unknown to the Russians.
They supplied the Tsars Alexander II and III with fine table linen, some samples of which have been preserved and are present in the Historical Museum of Vriezenveen.
Women from Vriezenveen also managed to make a career, such as Aaltje van den Bosch, who founded a sewing school in the Russian capital around the year 1800.
When the merchants from Vriezenveen no longer returned to their hometown immediately after their business with the Russians had been done, but continued to winter in Saint Petersburg, they became members of the Dutch Reformed Church there.
Since 2006, in addition to a library, the Friends of Saint Petersburg Foundation (established in Rotterdam) has also been located in the former church building.