Jirnsum: Center of UNESCO World Heritage Sites?!

Did you know… Many of our B&B (expat) guests use our Mauritius Church as a base to visit five (5!) UNESCO World Heritage sites. Yes, really - five top attractions accessible by car or bike from Jirnsum (and sometimes by public transport).

1. Royal Eise Eisinga Planetarium in Franeker (Friesland)

In the beautiful town of Franeker—an old university town—you'll find the newest (2023) UNESCO World Heritage site: the Planetarium of astronomer Eise Eisinga. This is the oldest, still-functioning planetarium in the world (est. 1774). It’s a true experience; back to the future. Every year, we marvel when we visit this lovely museum with family or friends (and the apple pie in the garden or café is delicious!).

Eisinga’s clockwork was hand-built and is fully intact. On the ceiling of Eisinga’s home, you can see our solar system with all the planets revolving around the sun. There’s also a museum with a large collection of astronomical instruments and a cinema where videos are shown continuously. Young and old alike are amazed by the Planetarium.

Don’t go home after your visit: Franeker offers many delights and plenty of entertainment. Say hi to the ice cream vendors at the shop across from the Planetarium. Did you know Franeker once had a university? Yes, after Leiden, a university was established in Friesland—Franeker, to be precise. Unfortunately, Napoleon decided to close it—otherwise, Franeker, not Groningen, might have become and remained the smartest city in the North. (You can learn all about this unique history and more at Museum Martena in Franeker, just a 3-minute walk from the Planetarium. Our tip: buy or reserve a double ticket for both museums).

Afterward, stroll through the living museum that is Franeker, a true experience with so many friendly people. Franeker also offers plenty of culinary and shopping delights.

Franeker and the Eise Eisinga Planetarium are 24 km from Jirnsum and our Mauritius Church B&B.

**Tip:** Due to the popularity of the Planetarium, you should book your tickets online in advance.

**Tip 2:** Bring a 50-cent coin if you want to see the miniature fairground shine, spin, and make sounds on the 5th floor of the Martena Museum! A must for fans of (authentic) fairs.

2. Wadden Sea (Wadden Zee, Friesland)

The largest tidal and coastal island system in the world can be found right here in Friesland. The Wadden Sea has been an official World Heritage site since 2009.

Our B&B guests love to drive to the port city of Harlingen for a walk on the beach and along the Wadden Coast. Or, a tip of the day: visit the restaurant De Zwarte Haan, uniquely located at the foot of the Wadden Sea dike. From here, you can take in the fresh Wadden Sea air and walk or bike for miles along the dike while enjoying the natural theater of the Wadden Sea (and it’s free!). Every day, the show is different.

The menu at De Zwarte Haan is local and largely organic.

Distance Jirnsum – Harlingen: 40 km, also easily accessible by train from Grou-Jirnsum station (transfer in Leeuwarden). Distance Jirnsum – Zwarte Haan: 33 km.**3. Woudagemaal in Lemmer (Friesland)

3. Woudagemaal (Friesland)

A unique piece of Dutch-Frisian water management and high-level engineering. Spectacular when it’s windy and raining: the ir. D.F. Woudagemaal in Lemmer. UNESCO World Heritage since 1999.

Less than half an hour’s drive from Jirnsum is the famous Engineer D.F. Woudagemaal in Lemmer. It’s the largest steam pumping station ever built in the world. This crown jewel dates back to 1920 and has been on the World Heritage list since 1999. Even though the monument is over 104 years old, it still works. When water levels are high, Wetterskip (water authority) Fryslân still uses the pumping station to keep Friesland’s feet dry. The pumping station is open to visitors on certain days.

Be sure to visit the exhibition space to learn all about the impact of climate change and water management. You can also use a VR headset to see how the pumping station works and walk along two nature trails around the station. A visit to the Woudagemaal is both fun and educational.

Distance Jirnsum – Woudagemaal: 33 kilometers.

4. Schokland (Noordoostpolder)

Once Schokland was an island in the Zuiderzee (sea; now the IJsselmeer lake). Since the reclamation of the Noordoostpolder in 1942, Schokland has been part of the mainland of the current Dutch province of Flevoland.

Schokland has been on the UNESCO World Heritage list since 1995, due to the area's archaeological richness and history.

The rustic area is managed by the Flevoland Landscape Foundation and covers an area of approximately 150 hectares. As of January 1, 2023, only five (!) people officially lived on Schokland, which now also has the status of a village.

The island of Schokland was once an important landmark for shipping in the Zuiderzee. It was located at the mouth of the IJssel on a busy shipping route. Due to its years of isolation, the island’s population developed its own culture, traditional costumes, and even dialects, known as Schokkers.

On Schokland, you can find traces of human habitation dating back to prehistoric times. The subsoil of Schokland consists of gray, sandy, flint-rich boulder clay, a remnant of a push moraine, also found on Texel, Wieringen, Urk, and Vollenhove. The fate of Schokland was captured by famous Dutch writer Harry Mulisch, who immortalized it in a novella in 1955.

Distance Jirnsum – Schokland near Ens: 59 km.

5. Colonies of Benevolence (Koloniën van Weldadigheid, Drenthe)

In 2021, the Colonies of Benevolence in Veenhuizen and Frederiksoord were added to the UNESCO World Heritage list. And rightfully so, as both villages showcase the unique history of poverty alleviation in the Netherlands (and Flanders!). The project, which began in 1818, was a social experiment unique to Europe and marked the beginning of the Dutch welfare state (yes, even back then!).

In this Society of Benevolence, poor city dwellers in the 19th century were given the chance to start a new life as farm laborers in Drenthe and Overijssel. The *Proefkolonie* was established in Frederiksoord, and a penal colony in Veenhuizen.

The past of both colony villages is still visible in the landscape. Also visit the Prison Museum in Veenhuizen and the Museum De Proefkolonie in Frederiksoord.

The colonies were designed as settlements; they include residential buildings, farms, churches, and other communal facilities. At their peak in the mid-19th century, over 11,000 people lived in such colonies in the Netherlands. In Belgium, Flanders, their number peaked at 6,000 in 1910.

The colonies have recently gained renewed attention through the book/bestseller by Suzanna Jansen: *The Pauper Paradise: A Family History* (2010).

Extras: Hop on a bike and take a ride through the beautiful Fochteloërveen to Veenhuizen. Or ride your e-bike through the Drents-Friese Wold, over the Doldersummerveld, and through the forests near Vledder towards Frederiksoord. Well worth the effort.

Distance Jirnsum – Colonies of Benevolence in Drenthe: 47.5 km (Frederiksoord) to 53 km (Veenhuizen).

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