In the footsteps of Aletta Jacobs
She is the heroine of the Veenkoloniën: Aletta Jacobs. On 20 April 1871, she was the first woman in the Netherlands to enrol as a full student at a university. She became the first and immediately most famous woman ever to study at the University of Groningen. With this route, you briefly walk in her footsteps and discover the multifaceted Sappemeer. Along the way, you will pass the locations that shaped Aletta from young dreamer to successful doctor.
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Aletta Evening Walk 2026
Aletta Evening Walk 2026
until 7 March
Young dreamer
Your walking route starts at the Historische Scheepswerf Wolthuis, at Noorderstraat 308 in Sappemeer. This is one of the oldest shipyards in the province of Groningen and today also a museum. Here it becomes clear that Aletta Jacobs had big dreams from a young age. The story goes that Aletta asked one of the captains to take her to America, because she feared her future in Groningen would consist only of domestic work.
A haven of tolerance
The route then takes you past Aletta's birthplace and the Koepelkerk. In her time, a synagogue, a Catholic, Baptist and Reformed church could be found within walking distance of each other. Sappemeer was a haven for tolerance, where different faiths could co-exist. Something that fitted well with Aletta's ideals. You also pass by the Voormalige HBS. The headmaster allowed Aletta to attend school here as a pupil, something that was certainly not common in those days. Via the Mennonite Church and St Willibrordus Church, you walk further to Aletta's parental home.
" ' 'From the age of six I have always declared with the most possible decisiveness, that, like Dad and Julius, I wanted to become a doctor'' "
All equal
No fewer than 11 children were raised in this house. All were equal and indiscriminate. So it is clear from whom Aletta had got her ideals. Walk on to Het Bonte Huis and finally visit the railway station, where Aletta was a true celebrity. From here, she took a daily train to Groningen, to go to her studies in medicine at university. If Aletta was late, the train driver would wait a while before leaving. Comic artist Barbara Stok has turned Aletta Jacobs' life story into a beautiful comic strip that you will find life-sized on the station.
Aletta Evening Walk
Every year, 8 March is International Women's Day, a day where worldwide attention is paid to the welfare and rights of women. One of the most famous people who actively contributed to this is from Sappemeer: Aletta Jacobs (1854-1929). In the Netherlands, she was the first woman to study and the first female doctor. She campaigned for women's health and rights and helped women gain the right to vote. So an important person in regional, national and also international history.
View the walking route
