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Route 10: Along the Onstwedde Tower

1 hour 20 minutes (6 km)

On this walk, you’ll pass, amongst other things, the Nicolaaskerk with its Juffertoren, built entirely from ‘kloostermoppen’ bricks. This route is 6 kilometres long.

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The Gothic Church of St Nicholas was built around 1500. It is assumed that the present church building had one or more precursors. Unsvede church is first mentioned around 1150; it was then the only church in Westerwolde.

Onstwedde - like the rest of Westerwolde - belonged ecclesiastically to the diocese of Osnabrück until 1568. Secular authority was in the hands of the prince bishop of Münster.

In the church there is a Gothic baptismal font made of Bentheimer sandstone, probably from 1524. This baptismal font was removed from the church after Onstwedde joined the Reformation. It ended up in the hamlet of Veenhuizen, just southwest of Onstwedde. There h...

Onstwedde - like the rest of Westerwolde - belonged ecclesiastically to the diocese of Osnabrück until 1568. Secular authority was in the hands of the prince bishop of Münster.

In the church is a Gothic baptismal font made of Bentheimer sandstone, presumably from 1524. This baptismal font was removed from the church after Onstwedde joined the Reformation. It ended up in the hamlet of Veenhuizen, just southwest of Onstwedde. There it served for centuries as a drinking trough for cattle and probably also as a grindstone for knives. In 1950, the then owner offered the baptismal font to the church. As the church council wanted to place the baptismal font 'only' in the tower, the owner withdrew his offer. In 1989, an appointment was still made to put it back in the church.

The altar stone, which was also removed from the church, lies outside the church.

The over 41-metre-high Juffertoren is at least a century and a half older than the church. A Juffer is a long pine trunk, which is pointed. By analogy, this kind of narrow, soaring, pointed tower has been given the name Juffertoren.

The tower has walls that are up to two metres thick in places. It is thought that the tower was also used as a defensive structure. It is likely that the people of Onstwedde took refuge in this tower when they were under threat. There was also a moat with a drawbridge around the church and tower, which further points to this function.

The tower of the church appears to be crooked, but that is optical illusion caused by the tower's twisted head. The lines of the octagonal spire do not run quite straight because of the rotation, creating the image of a leaning tower.

Until 1697, the tower of Onstwedde had 3 bells and from 1812 only 1. This bell was taken by the Germans during World War II and melted down. In 1947, the tower received a new clock.

On the walk, you’ll make your way through the ‘Kampvennen’ park, past the Dr Hommesbos – situated on a slope of the Onstwedder Holte – and the Tanger grove, past the sports fields and finally across ‘de Esch’.

This is a route of the Walking in Westerwolde Foundation, sponsored by Atelier Geert Schreuder, Esweg 9, Onstwedde.

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