Wierdendorp Niehove
The village on a residential hill that has remained virtually unchanged
The sea used to come further inland. You don't stop Groningers with that. We simply built hills for our villages. With dozens of mound villages, we conquered bits of land from the water. Nowhere is the austere strength of Groningen's mound villages as strongly felt as in Niehove.
Spinnenweb
Walking along the narrow church paths of Niehove, you wouldn’t guess that this little village was once the capital of Humsterland. Standing here amongst the red-brick cottages, it’s just as it was centuries ago. The church stands in the centre of the village, atop the mound. Seen from above, Niehove resembles a spider’s web. Arranged in two circles around the church are the village houses, with their rear facades facing the fields. Narrow paths lead from the church down to the lower ring road. Be sure to take a stroll around to experience this street layout for yourself.
Romanesque-Gothic church
The church in the middle is a Roman Gothic church from the 13th century. Until the 16th century, it was the only building made of stone in the village. Only much later did the church get pews. Until then, churchgoers had to stand: men on the south side and women on the north side. The church now houses a visitor centre with information about the village and Humsterland. For a long time, Niehove's churchyard was separated from the street by a circular moat. This moat was to ensure that the spirits stayed neatly in the churchyard and did not wander through the village.
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