The best museums in the Westerkwartier
The Westerkwartier has a rich history that you can relive in its various museums. The museums listed below will take you back in time. Discover and learn more about the history of the Westerkwartier.
Museum Wierdenland
At Museum Wierdenland , you can learn about the mound and wierden landscape of the northern Netherlands. Discover everything about this vast landscape, its inhabitants and the history of the centuries-long struggle against the rising waters of the North Sea and the Wadden Sea. Archaeological finds from this region are on display, such as a real horse’s grave. Children can learn about the history and landscape whilst exploring. At the play table, you can do crafts, read, play and enjoy all sorts of fun traditional games. Why not combine your visit with a guided cycle tour led by one of the guides, or set off on your own? After visiting the museum, you can also pop into the church perched atop the mound.
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Museum Nienoord
borg Nienoord was built in 1524. Discover the manor’s history in the ‘Hidden Stories’ exhibition, which presents the fascinating history of the manor and its inhabitants in a playful way. For example, visit the interactive carriage exhibition ‘Destination Reached’ in the museum. Through a hands-on activity, children can learn how to drive a carriage and experience what it was like to travel by carriage from Leek to Groningen in the 19th century. A visit to the 17th-century shell grotto in the garden or a guided tour of the carriage house is also well worth your while.
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Kloostermuseum Sint Bernardushof
In Aduard, there are still several houses built using bricks from the old monastery. The Abbey Church, built in the Romanesque-Gothic style in the centre of the village, was formerly the monastery’s infirmary; it is the only surviving building from the monastery complex. It is the oldest medical monument in the Netherlands. A visit to the Sint Bernardushof Museum is an experience in itself: a personal welcome and a guided tour in an authentic atmosphere that takes you back to the monastery’s illustrious monastic past. A visit always concludes with a tour of the monastery’s 13th-century infirmary. Is the museum closed? Don’t panic. A walking route has been mapped out along the contours of the former monastery, featuring seven works of art and 3D images of the monastery. Using the app, you can take an almost lifelike walk through the former monastery.
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Jewish school
Leek used to be a trading centre where Jewish traders and merchants were also active. Leek had had a Jewish resident as early as 1705. After Jews were granted equal civil rights in the Netherlands in 1796, more followed. A special Jewish cemetery and a synagogue were established, and fifty years later a Jewish school was built. Here, Jewish children were taught about Judaism and Hebrew. When the Second World War broke out, there were still around ninety Jewish residents living in Leek. Today, the little school has been converted into a museum. It serves as a memorial to the sixty-one Jews from Leek who were murdered during the war.
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