Netherlands > The Groninger 'Wierde” Villages

Together with the other guests, we have breakfast in the conservatory. To allow for social distancing due to COVID, an extra table has been placed. After breakfast, Marco and I each head to Groningen in our own way. We’ll meet again at the hotel this afternoon. The weather forecast for today is poor—it looks like it will drizzle all day. I first drive to the Borg Verhildersum estate. From a 14th-century stone house, it developed into a full estate in the 19th century. When I arrive, I’m the first visitor of the day. The door of the manor is opened for me. I’m given a brief explanation about the house and its history; the rest of the information is in a brochure. In each room, I can read about what is on display. The garden around the house may be just as beautiful, with neatly laid-out flower beds, paths, and statues.

Netherlands - The beautiful interior of the Borg Verhildersum Estate

The garden suits the estate perfectly. The staff member tells me I should also take a look at the laborer’s cottage and the farm museum, both part of the museum complex. In the farm museum, the film about the history of the Verhildersum estate is especially interesting. Around noon, I arrive in Niehove. Niehove is a wierdedorp (artificial mound village) with only 130 inhabitants. Two years ago, the magazine Elsevier named it the most beautiful village in the Netherlands. The entire village is a protected heritage site. To protect themselves from seawater, people built houses on sand mounds before the start of the Common Era. These mounds eventually grew into larger village mounds. In the middle stands the church. The exhibition inside explains how Niehove and the surrounding villages came into being. Via Oldehove, I drive to Ezinge, also a wierdedorp.

Netherlands - The church tower of the mound village of Ezinge

In the Wierdenland Museum, there is an explanation of how the mounds were formed. A film shows how many of these mounds were later excavated because the soil was nutrient-rich and could be used as fertilizer. A volunteer at the museum turns out to live in Niehove, and I share my earlier impressions with him. In Ezinge, the excavations are still clearly visible—behind the church, the landscape drops more than five meters. It’s still raining when I drive to Winsum. Winsum, too, has been named the most beautiful village in the country, this time by a KRO-NCRV television program. I stroll through the charming streets. At a terrace, under a parasol, I order a beer.

Netherlands - A few years ago Winsum was named the most beautiful village by a TV program

Then I begin the last stage of today’s trip. In about twenty minutes, I reach Groningen. I park the car on the edge of the city center in a parking garage, from where it’s a short walk to the hotel. Luckily, it has now stopped raining. We are staying in the NH Hotel next to the hospital. Our room turns out not to have been cleaned, but we are quickly given another one. In the evening, we walk into the city center. Groningen is clearly a student city—everywhere the streets are busy, and the terraces are full. We choose an Italian restaurant. The elderly owner turns out to be Iranian. After the meal, he comes to sit with us when he hears that I’ve been to Iran. He tells me that he fled from Iran. Not everything in the conversation is easy to follow, but it’s clear that he is proud of what he has built here. He offers us a drink. When we leave the restaurant, we are given a firm handshake.