New look, familiar stories — and hopefully fewer uninvited visitors!

Welcome to the renewed Koopmans Family website!

After many years of faithful service, our old website, built with Joomla, has finally been retired. It served us well, but maintaining it had become increasingly complicated. And when we discovered signs of a PHP-related security attack, it became clear that it was time for a fresh start.

Fortunately, the damage appears to have been limited, but it was a useful reminder that even a small, non-commercial family website can attract unwanted attention. Apparently, hackers don't distinguish between international banks and family photographs!

Out with the old, in with the new

Instead of simply repairing the old website, I decided to rebuild it using Publii, a system that generates static web pages.

The main advantage is that ordinary pages no longer need a database or server-side PHP to display their content. This makes the website simpler, faster to maintain and considerably less exposed to certain types of attack.

We've also reviewed and strengthened the Raspberry Pi web server's security configuration. The photo gallery and genealogy database remain available as separate websites, and the new contact form runs independently with additional security measures.

Of course, no internet-connected system is completely immune to attacks, but the new arrangement has a much smaller attack surface.

What happened to the old articles?

Not everything from the old website has disappeared!

I've transferred a selection of older articles and stories to the new website. Some may look a little different, but their content has been preserved.

Over time, I may restore a few more interesting articles from the archives. Others will probably be allowed to enjoy a well-earned retirement, just like their author.

Still the same purpose

Although the technology behind the scenes has changed, the purpose of this website remains exactly the same: sharing family stories, photographs, experiences and the occasional observation about life.

There is no advertising, no commercial ambition and certainly no plan to become the next social-media empire.

Just a privately maintained corner of the internet for family, friends and anyone else who happens to be interested.

Have a look around!

I hope you enjoy the new website. Some details may still change as everything settles into place.

If you find a broken link, notice a mistake or simply want to say hello, please use the Contact link in the menu.

And if you happen to be a hacker reading this: sorry, there's not much of value here. Perhaps try a nice hobby instead!

Enjoy browsing!

Henk Koopmans

Ende September 2026 waren Irène und ich eine Woche mit der MS Vistario auf der Mosel unterwegs – und wir können gleich vorwegnehmen: Es war eine wunderschöne und sehr angenehme Reise.

Ganz nach Fahrplan lief allerdings nicht alles. Wegen des niedrigen Rheinpegels konnte das Schiff nicht wie geplant in Köln starten und enden. Deshalb ging es zuerst mit dem Bus von Köln nach Koblenz, wo unsere eigentliche Schiffsreise begann. Am Ende wurden wir wieder per Bus zurück nach Köln gebracht.

Auch Rüdesheim konnten wir nicht mit dem Schiff erreichen. Stattdessen wurden wir von Alken aus mit dem Bus hingefahren und später wieder zurückgebracht. Etwas improvisiert – aber gut organisiert.

Das Wetter meinte es sehr gut mit uns: angenehm warm, nicht zu heiss, ab und zu bewölkt und vor allem kein Regen. Genau richtig, um die vielen schönen Städte und kleinen Weinorte entlang der Mosel zu erkunden.

Die Landschaft mit den steilen Weinbergen, Burgen und Dörfern war immer wieder beeindruckend. Besonders angenehm an einer Flusskreuzfahrt ist natürlich, dass man jeden Tag etwas Neues sieht, aber trotzdem nur einmal den Koffer auspacken muss.
Auch an Bord fühlten wir uns sehr wohl. Die Reise war bequem, das Personal freundlich und das Essen ausgesprochen gut.
Wie gut, merkten wir allerdings erst nach der Reise auf der Waage: rund zwei Kilo mehr.
Offenbar gehört auch das zum All-inclusive-Erlebnis. 😉

Alles in allem war es eine sehr schöne, entspannte und interessante Woche, an die wir gerne zurückdenken.

Ein Klick auf das Foto unten führt zu unserer Fotogalerie mit weiteren Eindrücken von der Reise. 

Fotos unserer Moselkreuzfahrt ansehen

In April we made a short trip to the Netherlands to enjoy a few special places and to visit family.

Our journey started on 19 April, with a pleasant stopover in the charming town of Oberwesel along the Rhine. We stayed in a lovely hotel, enjoyed the beautiful atmosphere, and treated ourselves to an excellent dinner before continuing our trip the next day.

One of the highlights was our visit to the famous Keukenhof. As always, the colourful flower displays were impressive. And of course, Irène could not resist buying more flower bulbs for our garden. They will be delivered at the end of September, so we already have something to look forward to for next spring.

We also spent time in Delft, enjoying the atmosphere of this beautiful historic city with its canals, old buildings, and cosy streets.

A very important part of the trip was visiting family. It was wonderful to see each other again, exchange news, and share many old memories together. These moments made the trip especially warm and meaningful.

Click on the picture below to go to the gallery.

Die Fasnacht 2026 hat Urtenen-Schönbühl wieder in ein farbenfrohes Spektakel verwandelt.

Hier finden Sie die Fotos vom diesjährigen Umzug.

A few days ago a good friend and colleague died.

Together we were active in an IT project called "Starship".
We had fun together and Kari was very influential in the success of the project.

Kari may you rest in peace, I will not forget you.

Also do I wish your family strength in these difficult days.