Leeuwarden is located in the Dutch province of Friesland. In 2018, Leeuwarden was European Capital of Culture together with Valletta (Malta).
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Stadhuis
Leeuwarden Town Hall was built on the vaults of a medieval fortress. According to the inscription on the façade, the first stone was laid in 1715 by three-year-old Willem Carel Hendrik Friso, son of Maria Louise and the future stadtholder Willem IV. Above the door is the inscription “Peace and Justice”, which is embodied by two statues. The town hall is still used as the office of the mayor and aldermen.
The red house to the right (fourth photo) is a beer house.
Fletcher Hotel-Paleis Stadhourderlijk Hof
The 4-star hotel is located in a former palace of the royal family from the 18th century.
In front of the hotel stands a statue of Willem Lodewijk van Nassau-Dillenburg. He was a nephew of Willem of Orange and was responsible for Friesland for a long time (1584–1620). As can be seen from the statue, he was a soldier. He made a significant contribution to the war effort against the Spanish at the turn of the 16th century.
Grote of Jacobijnerkerk
The Grote Kerk or Jacobijnkerk is the oldest building in the Dutch city of Leeuwarden. The former monastery church is the centre of the Protestant parish of De Jacobijner.
The pulpit was built in the second half of the 17th century, as were the separate entrance for the governor's family (Oranjepoortje) and their raised pews in front of the choir. Between 1724 and 1727, organ builder Christian Müller installed a Baroque organ with 38 stops here.
The choir of the church contains the burial place of the Frisian governors, the Nassau family, with a large tomb monument to William Louis from 1634. They are ancestors of the Dutch royal family.
De Waag
The weigh house in Leeuwarden was built in 1595 in the Renaissance style. It was mainly used for weighing dairy products, as these were the most important and best-selling products in Leeuwarden. In the past, traders had to have their goods weighed here before they were allowed to sell them at the market. The weigh house was important for a town to be considered a reliable market. This prevented conflicts between traders and customers. It also provided the town with additional income, as traders had to pay to have their goods weighed.
Today, the weigh house houses a café.
Mata Hari
Mata Hari was born in Leeuwarden in 1876. Her father ran a hat shop here. In addition to her career as a dancer, she became a double agent for Germany and France and was executed in France on 15 October 1917.
The Prison - Blokhuispoort
This is where our tour of the town ended, but with coffee and cake, because today the prison is a cultural centre.
Further impressions from the tour
River Cruise
