Holiday apartment in Oostermeer: Water, nature and Frisian history

Oostermeer is a historic harbour village in the Noardlike Fryske Wâlden National Landscape. Eastermar lies between Bergumermeer to the north and De Leijen to the south and has a harbour in the village. Here, local history combines with a waterscape and opportunities for observing nature.

Water experiences between canals and lakes

Gerbrich's SUP verhuur offers SUP tours on De Lits, De Leyen and Burgumer Mar. In Eastermar, visitors can rent a SUP board there and set off on De Leyen or along the reed-lined shores of Burgumer Mar. This means that Eastermar combines SUP opportunities on several bodies of water with the historic character of the village.

Frisian history in the village landscape

The church at Torenlaan 14 in Eastermar was built in 1868. Its clock mechanism dates from 1924 and was made by the Van Bergen brothers from Midwolda. The Dutch Reformed hall church from 1868 is of general cultural and architectural-historical significance.

The Dam Jaarsma Hûs is a 19th-century house in Eastermar and is named after the Frisian-language writer, poet and collector of Frisian folk tales Dam Jaarsma. Dam Jaarsma collected almost 16,000 tales and legends. The combination of the building and Frisian storytelling tradition gives the village’s history a personal, cultural dimension that differs from purely landscape-focused holiday days.

Eastermar developed into a peat-digging village in the 17th century after the peat bogs southwest of the village had been excavated. E.M. Beimastraat contains the largest concentration of the village’s listed and characteristic buildings. Peat extraction and the ensemble of buildings thus represent two historical traces of Eastermar.

At the cemetery near Hoogzand, a memorial bearing the names of those affected as well as a Polish and a Dutch inscription commemorates the event and their efforts for freedom.

Nature observation at De Leijen and the Dykswâlen

At the De Leijen – Malewei viewpoint, large groups of ducks can be observed in winter, including wigeons and teal; tufted ducks are also found there. In recent years, a great grey shrike has been spotted there in winter. In spring and summer, hunting marsh harriers can be seen. The different seasons therefore also shape the type of nature observation: in winter, groups of ducks and individual sightings take centre stage, while in spring and summer, the hunting marsh harriers attract attention.

The Dykswâlen provide cover for roe deer, foxes, stone martens, polecats, stoats, weasels and various species of mice.

Routes for nature, leisure and history

The 7th stage of the Bonifatius Kloosterpad reaches Eastermar and is classified as a nature, leisure and pilgrimage route. The Streekpad Noardlike Fryske Wâlden continues via Eastermar to De Leijen, a shallow lake created by peat extraction. The “Historie en natuur in Eastermar” route offers a view over Burgumer Mar.

Other places for your travel planning

If you would like to discover other destinations for your plans in addition to Oostermeer, you can find Aldtsjerk, Eernewoude, Noardburgum, Ryptsjerk, Hardegarijp, Sumar, Jistrum and Wyns here.

To the higher-level travel overview: Tytsjerksteradiel.