The Lange Marktstraat is the booming business center of Leeuwarden and is referred to by the locals as “The Manhattan of Leeuwarden”.  On the same spot where cows and sheep dominated the cattle market in the 1960’s, there now stands an enormous collection of office buildings. 
Currently the highest is the Achmea Tower with an overall height of 114 meters.  A sign of the times is the names of all these buildings.  No fancy names, but names of insurance companies like the FBTO Tower, the black giant with mirror glass.  Or the Avero or Achmea towers.  Insurance companies as namesakes to buildings are a symbol for the commercialized society we live in today.

Ascension Day is the day that the people from the city of Leeuwarden in a mass go garden shopping. Rain or shine it is always busy at the annual flower market.  On this day these same streets are the domain of flower salesmen and women. 

From the very early morning until the late afternoon people will walk by with colorful plants in their hands, plastic bags, wooden boxes, even cardboard boxes full of flowers.  The annual “bloemetjesmarkt” usually has around 30,000 visitors. 
In the area surrounding the train station there are some impressive historical mansions.  Many of which are owned by insurance companies, law firms, notaries or banks.