Have you heard of Leeuwarden’s Oldehove, a leaning tower? In actuality, the tower leans even more than Pisa. Oldehove, in the province of Friesland, is just one of the city’s major attractions; it was named the 2018 European Capital of Culture and featured a lovely old town with canals. So, put on your boots and start the tour.
De Oldehove: Top attraction in Leeuwarden
The notoriously off-center Oldehove, Friesland’s answer to the Leaning Tower of Pisa, is located in the northwest corner of the historic district. In the medieval heart of the Dutch city of Leeuwarden, there lies a leaning, incomplete church tower called The Oldehove. The tower has a height of 39 meters. 183 stairs make up the tower. The tower’s top is 2 meters away from the center in a horizontal direction.
Shortly after construction on the tower in 1529 began to go wrong, neither its intended height nor appropriate posture was ever restored. To get a birds-eye perspective of the large square below, ride the lift up its 39 uneven meters. The square is dotted with engraved stone slabs that commemorate the cemetery that stood here until 1833.
Why is De Oldehove leaning?
In 1529, work on this crooked, unfinished, and leaning tower began. The old Saint Vitus church was to be replaced with a new church that would be attached to the tower, but this was never accomplished. Unfortunately for master builder Jacob van Aken, the tower started to sink while it was being built. It was decided to keep building perpendicularly on top of the tilting bottom to make up for the tilt.
The tower is also bent as a result. Following that, work was suspended in 1533 and never picked up again. The tower was never able to rise to its projected 120 m height. The Oldehove gained symbolic significance despite never being used for important occasions. Leeuwarden residents still take great pride in their Oldehove.
Several facts about De Oldehove
- The tower’s height is 39 meters (127 feet) without a timbered top and 48 meters (157 feet) with one.
- There are 183 steps.
- Leaning angle: 1.99 m (6.5 ft)
- The Oldehove is not the Netherlands’ most lopsided tower; that distinction belongs to the one in the Leeuwarden municipality’s Miedum village.
- The Oldehove has served as a clock, storage facility, observation station, status symbol, and tourist destination, among other things.
Related post Dom Tower, Utrecht: The Tallest Church Tower In The Netherlands
Nearby Attractions to De Oldehove
Pier Pander Museum
Distance: 0.09km from Oldehove
The artistic legacy of the Frisian sculptor Pier Pander is preserved in the Pier Pander Museum, located in Leeuwarden (1864-1919). Nicolaas Petrus de Koo is also responsible for the Pier Pander Museum Leeuwarden’s establishment in 1954.
Ceramics Museum Princessehof
Distance: 0.14km from Oldehove
A stunning collection of ceramic, tiles, pottery, and ceramic sculpture is on display at the Princessehof Ceramics Museum in Leeuwarden, housed in an opulent palace from the 18th century. Besides, the museum features a café and frequently welcomes guest art exhibitions. The former workshop of the Dutch ceramicist Jan van der Vaart is also on permanent display at the museum.
Historisch Centrum Leeuwarden
Distance: 0.17km from Oldehove
The information and activity hub for the past of Leeuwarden and the neighborhood is the Historical Center Leeuwarden. Here are stored and made available thousands of meters of historical papers from the Middle Ages to the present. So, anyone interested in learning more about Leeuwarden’s past or former residents can contact the HCL.
Museum de Grutterswinkel
Distance: 0.28km from Oldehove
In the Dutch city of Leeuwarden, a museum called Museum De Grutterswinkel. The grocery store is housed in a five-bay structure constructed in 1596. Besides, the front has a checkered cornice, and Rococo decorations adorn the central window. The structure is also a national landmark. Additionally, it served as the mayor’s home and contained a coppersmith. The Feenstra family began operating as a wholesaler of groats and colonial products in 1901. It later turned into a store.
Prinsentuin
Distance: 0.35km from Oldehove
The Prinsentuin, a Renaissance-styled park in Groningen, is situated behind the Prinsenhof. A rose garden, a herb garden, a section with berceaus, and a sundial on the wall above the entrance make up this garden.
Nature Museum Fryslân
Distance: 0.43km from Oldehove
The city of Leeuwarden, located in the Dutch province of Friesland, is home to the Natuurmuseum Fryslân. The Animal Inside Out exhibit, created by Gunther von Hagens, has drawn the most visitors in the museum’s history. To see the numerous plastinated creatures, the museum received more than 62,000 visitors. Also, discover the splendor of Fryslân’s natural beauty on four levels packed with knowledge, rare animals and plants, exercises, games, and other surprises.
Fries Museum
Distance: 0.51km away from Oldehove
The Frisian people and Friesland are the focus of the Fries Museum. The eleven cities that make up the province and the surrounding countryside are the focal points of its activity. Besides, one million pieces make up the Fries Museum’s collection, which is focused on arts, crafts, and history from 1200 to 2000. The museum has about 8000 items on display at this time. The museum’s most recognizable artifacts are also the Hindelooper Room, the Popta Treasure, and Grote Pier’s fabled sword.
Blokhuispoort Museum
Distance: 0.78km away from Oldehove
Until December 2007, a group of buildings known as the Blokhuispoort in the city of Leeuwarden served as a correctional facility. On the spot where a prison had previously stood around 1500, the present structure was erected in the second half of the nineteenth century. Since 1580, it has been used as a prison and has undergone numerous additions and modifications. The complex has 180 cells and has been around for 130 years in its current configuration.
Oldehove is a tower in Leeuwarden that is well worth a visit. Make plans to get here as soon as possible so you may enjoy the exhilarating sensation of ascending to the top of the tower.
