Discover Houwerzijl: Tea, History and Trails

Houwerzijl: Tea, History and Trails

Houwerzijl combines a unique tea culture with traces of the lost village of Vliedorp and a variety of trails through the immediate surroundings. If you are looking for a holiday apartment in Houwerzijl, you will find a range of ideas for day trips, including a museum visit, tea tasting, walking, cycling and a play area. In the past, Houwerzijl was located in saline land directly by the sea.

De Theefabriek: Museum, Tearoom and Regional History

The former church and the neoclassical vicarage of Houwerzijl, dating from 1870, house a tea museum and a tearoom. The church was built in 1862 for the Seceders and was remodelled and extended in 1906 and 1915. An unusual chapter in its history is the purchase of De Theefabriek in 1989 for the symbolic amount of one guilder, equivalent to 45 euro cents.

The Tea Museum presents the complete history of tea, from the tea plant to drinking tea, in a variety of theatrical settings. From April to October, De Theefabriek is open Tuesday to Sunday from 10:00 to 17:00. This makes it easy to combine a visit with other experiences in Houwerzijl.

The tearoom offers more than 300 varieties and specialities of tea. These are accompanied by traditionally made pastries, warm scones, muffins, spiced tea cake and generously filled sandwiches. During tea tastings, different varieties of tea and preparation methods are explained; depending on the theme, you will taste five to eight different teas.

Play Forest and Trails for Different Day Plans

Speelbos Houwerzijl combines an ecologically designed and managed forest with several walking trails, a play area and various sturdy play structures. De Ui, a public fire pit, is located at the transition between the forest and the play area. This means that, alongside a museum visit, spending time in nature is another concrete option locally.

De Theefabriek has developed the 4 km walking route “ommeTje Vliedorp / Olle Weem” in the immediate vicinity of Houwerzijl. The “Verhalen van het zoute land” walking route also starts and ends at De Theefabriek. This route leads to Vliedorp, Zwarteweg 8, 9973 PM Houwerzijl. De Theefabriek is also located along cycling routes and can serve as their starting point or an intermediate stop. A spacious private car park is available for those arriving by car.

Olle Weem and the Traces of Vliedorp

Olle Weem preserves twelve gravestones and several trees on part of a terp; they are the remains of the lost village of Vliedorp. Olle Weem lies north of Houwerzijl on the cycle path between Houwerzijl and Vlakke Riet road. The cemetery at Olle Weem is accessible from sunrise to sunset.

The history of this place goes back a long way: around 1200, a stone church was built in Vliedorp, probably on the site of an earlier wooden church. During the Christmas Flood of 1717, 32 houses were destroyed and 48 people were killed in Vliedorp. Until the 20th century, funeral processions from Houwerzijl transported the deceased by water to the abandoned terp of Vliedorp.

For other places in the same area, you can explore Warfhuizen, Zoutkamp, Zuurdijk, Westernieland, Hornhuizen, Kloosterburen, Eenrum and Vierhuizen.

For the broader travel overview: De Marne.