In 2019, Niehove was named the most beautiful village in the Netherlands. And in 2020, Winsum received the same title from the ANWB. Rightly so? Yes, they are beautiful places. But there are countless other Groningen villages that can rightfully carry the predicate. Take a leisurely drive through the Groningen countryside. Then it will soon become clear: here, one beautiful village sight dips over another.
Midwolde
Going to Landgoed Nienoord near Leek? Then don't take the quickest route, but go via Midwolde. A beautiful village. Actually, Midwolde means little more than 'in the middle of the forest'. That forest has long since disappeared. The area used to be marshy and dense; no way through. Nowadays, things are different. If you go cycling, turn off at the church and ride via the driveway to Nienoord. That way you follow the route the noble families Van Ewsum and Von Inn - und Knyphausen also used to take to 'their' Adelskerk. That twelfth-century church is very special. It belongs to het Grootste Museum van Nederland: a collection of our country's most beautiful churches. You understand that completely when you go inside. There, you are blown away by the impressive tomb monument that Rombout Verhulst made between 1665 and 1669, commissioned by the young widow Anna van Ewsum. She herself is immortalised in the sculpture, bowing beside her late husband.
Noordlaren
Just outside the city of Groningen lies the village of Noordlaren. Rural, charming and bathed in greenery. That this is an old place is proven by the thirteenth-century Bartholomew's Church and the even older dolmen just outside the village. Around Noordlaren it is great cycling and walking through the beautiful landscape of the Hondsrug. Do you like a bit of excitement? Then cycle or walk at dusk through the Noordlaarderbos. Hidden among the trees there is a medieval gallows field. You can cycle a nice loop from the city; start in Haren and go there via Onnen and back via Glimmen and the Appelbergen: a beautiful forest through which the Pieterpad also runs. Along the way, you'll come across many places to eat and drink, from the Blankehoeve near Blankeweer and De Lanteern in Noordlaren to the Hondsrug Natuurvriendenhuis on the edge of the Noordlaarderbos.
Stitswerd
Should there already be a plan to shoot a Miss Marple -style English detective in Groningen, Stitswerd could serve as the setting. The picturesque mudflat village is beautifully situated in the bend of an old road between Onderdendam and Usquert. Idyllic, that's the word, all the more so when you also dive into one of the narrow streets. As early as the nineteenth century, Stitswerd was praised for its beauty. The travelling schoolteacher Jan Gerrit Rijkens called it 'an English garden'. Stitswerd was also loved by the Groningen painters of De Ploeg. Going to Stitswerd? Then drive or cycle over Bethlehem and Rottum to the mound of Helwerd. This is where missionary Liudger cured the bard Bernlef of his blindness in the eighth century. True or false? Doesn't matter; the mound is a magical place.
Onderdendam
Do you have a boat or a canoe? Then definitely sail through Onderdendam. From the water, you fall in love instantly. But also walking and cycling, Onderdendam hits you right away. All ingredients are present: from Hunsingo corn mill and a cute church from 1840 to the striking old cantonal court. The latter building hangs somewhat nonchalantly half over the Winsumerdiep. The corn mill offers excellent food and accommodation. Cycling in the area? We recommend a route along the Stadsweg, the Jaagpad and the Onderdendamsterweg. One by one, these are old roads where you can experience the landscape to the full. If you are ready for pure tranquillity, pick up the towpath along the Rasquerdermaar three kilometres above the village; from Onderdendam, turn left after a sharp bend in the Onderdendamsterweg. It may take some searching but very much worth it.
More beauty
- Bellingwolde: One beautiful house after another lies on Bellingwolde's Hoofdweg: from villa to manor house. Don't drive too far because you'll be in Germany in no time.
- Westeremden: A beauty of a mound village. Atop the mound is a beautiful church and the weem rebuilt by artist Henk Helmantel: a medieval vicarage farm.
- Feerwerd: Between Ezinge and Garnwerd lies Feerwerd. Narrow streets, plenty of greenery, an unusual church; this is almost an overdose of village idyll.
- Spijk: As if someone had drawn a circle with a compass: the mound of Spijk is flawless and ancient. The church is right in the middle, surrounded by a ring moat.
- Termunten: The church alone is worth a visit to Termunten. Picturesque, that's the word. And to think that the church used to be much bigger.
- Smeerling: You don't need much for real beauty: a few farms, some sturdy trees and the beautiful landscape of the Ruiten Aa.
" "Here one beautiful village scene dips over another" "
