Baptist church Sappemeer & Croonhoven
Sappemeer has traditionally had a large Mennonite community. The first Mennonites arrived as peat cutters from Friesland. Later, in the eighteenth century, a group of Mennonite refugees from Switzerland settled in Sappemeer and the surrounding area.
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Location
First, a church was built on the Borgercompagniesterdiep. When this became too small, the Mennonite hall church was built on the site of the demolished peat manor Croonhoven. That manor belonged to steward Rembt de Mepsche, who had become fabulously wealthy through peat extraction. The church is a hall church with a small tower on the façade, featuring austere, neoclassical forms, and has an organ built in 1855 by organ builder G.W. Lohman. Behind the adjacent pastorie , an ornamental garden, a vegetable garden and an apple orchard were laid out.
Since 2005, the organic Croonhoven vineyard has been located here. Jan Wehrmeijer is the winegrower, who has been running his own organic vineyard here for over 14 years. There are various grape varieties and over 300 vines. He has gained a great deal of experience over the years and every year he has a good harvest, enough to fill many a bottle of wine.
Mennonite Church Sappemeer & Croonhoven is part of the inspiring walking route 'In the footsteps of Aletta Jacobs'.