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    Leeuwarden

    Netherlands

    Leeuwarden

    CityCulture

    Leeuwarden, Ljouwert in Frisian, is the administrative capital of Friesland province in the northern Netherlands and was European Capital of Culture in 2018.

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    9. Leeuwarden
    Leeuwarden, Ljouwert in Frisian, is the administrative capital of Friesland province in the northern Netherlands and was European Capital of Culture in 2018. You come for the leaning tower Oldehove, the Fries Museum of Frisian art & history, and the Keramikmuseum Princessehof, birthplace of graphic artist M. C. Escher.
    Leeuwarden (Frisian: Ljouwert) is the administrative capital of Friesland province. In 2018, it was European Capital of Culture with Valletta in Malta. Its landmark is the Oldehove, a crooked, unfinished church tower. Construction started in 1529, but was halted in 1532 after the tower began to sink. Historic sites also include the Waag (old trading centre), the 16th-century Kanselarij (once the Frisian court), and the Stadhouderlijk Hof (formerly the Frisian stadtholder’s residence, now a hotel). The Blokhuispoort is a former prison.

    Sights in Leeuwarden

    Discover the most important sights and attractions

    Oldehove
    Attraction

    1Oldehove

    Leaning, unfinished church tower and city landmark. Construction began in 1529, but the tower already settled during the works; construction ceased in 1532. You can climb it in summer.
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    Fries Museum
    Museum

    2Fries Museum

    Museum of Frisian art, culture, and history with around 170,000 objects, including a significant silver collection, as well as changing special exhibitions.
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    Ceramics Museum Princessehof
    Museum

    3Ceramics Museum Princessehof

    Nationally significant Ceramic Museum housed in a 1693 city palace – featuring Chinese porcelain, Art Nouveau ceramics, and Delftware. The graphic artist M. C. Escher was born in this building.
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    Great or Jacobin Church
    Church

    4Great or Jacobin Church

    15th-century church and the oldest building in the city.
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    Restaurants in Leeuwarden

    1

    Restaurant Hana

    Asian fusion cuisine on Groningerstraatweg.
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    2

    Double B – Bar & Kitchen

    Burgers and American cuisine on Weerd Street in the city center.
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    3

    The Meat Room

    Restaurant in Ruiterskwartier, downtown.
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    Museums and Frisian Traditions

    The Fries Museum houses around 170,000 objects on Frisian art, culture, and history. The Princessehof, a building from 1693, is home to a ceramics museum of national importance; the graphic artist M. C. Escher was born in this house in 1898. The dancer Mata Hari (1876–1917) is also among the city's well-known personalities.Connected with Friesland is the Elfstedentocht, an approximately 200-kilometre-long ice-skating race past the eleven Frisian cities. It only takes place when the canals freeze over – most recently in January 1997.

    Getting there & around

    From Leeuwarden station, Intercity trains run twice an hour via Zwolle to Rotterdam or Den Haag. Regional trains connect the city with Zwolle, Groningen, Harlingen, and via Sneek to Stavoren.Oldehove, Princessehof, and the Fries Museum are located in the city center, just a few hundred meters from each other.

    Accommodations in Leeuwarden

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    Campgrounds in Leeuwarden

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      Trip to Leeuwarden

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      • 1Oldehove3 days
      • 2Fries Museum4 days
      • 3Ceramics Museum Princessehof5 days
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    Nearby

    Friesland

    Friesland

    Friesland in the northern Netherlands, province of lakes, Wadden Sea, and its own language: West Frisian, official alongside Dutch. The Wadden Islands Vlieland, Terschelling, Ameland, Schiermonnikoog belong here.Leeuwarden is the capital. Visitors enjoy watersports on lakes, swimming at the coast and islands, and mudflat hiking. In summer, old sailing cargo ships race in the Skûtsjesilen regatta.
    Groningen

    Groningen

    Groningen is the capital of the eponymous province in the north of the Netherlands, about 75 kilometres west of Leer in East Frisia. Come for a university city with a car-free centre around Grote Markt and Vismarkt, for the Martinikerk with its tower, and for the Groninger Museum, whose 1994 building was co-designed by several designers.
    Giethoorn

    Giethoorn

    Giethoorn ist ein Wasserdorf in der Provinz Overijssel im Nordosten der Niederlande, am Rand des Moorgebiets De Wieden. Du kommst für die Fahrt mit dem Boot: Das Dorf zieht sich rund acht Kilometer an einem Dorfkanal entlang, den zahlreiche Querkanäle und Holzbrücken kreuzen.
    Province Groningen

    Province Groningen

    The Province of Groningen is the northeasternmost of the Netherlands and borders the Wadden Sea to the north, and Ostfriesland and Emsland to the east. Its center is the university city of Groningen with its old town.The area surrounding the city, the Ommelande, is flat and expansive. Old villages are located there on *Warften*, artificially raised mounds.
    Texel

    Texel

    Texel is the largest of the West Frisian Islands and belongs to the province of Noord-Holland; from Den Helder on the mainland, the car ferry crosses in about 20 minutes. You come for the approximately 30-kilometer-long sandy beach on the west coast, the dune belt of the Duinen van Texel National Park, and bike tours between seven villages.