Holiday apartment in Leens: Culture, Nature and Family Experiences

Verhildersum: Estate, Museum and Sculpture Garden

The estate surrounding Borg Verhildersum in Leens covers around 33 hectares. At the Borg Verhildersum Museum, the history of Groningen on the Wadden Sea coast is presented from three perspectives: those of the nobility, farmers and agricultural labourers. Verhildersum also has the northernmost sculpture garden in the Netherlands. The sculpture garden complements the museum site with outdoor visual art. Those interested in culture will find social regional history and art in one place here.

Verhildersum is one of the castles in the immediate vicinity of Leens. Panser, Mattenesse and Breedenborg are also castles in the area around Leens.

Wildlife and Educational Activities at DoeZoo

DoeZoo is located in the Groningen village of Leens and is a zoo that focuses mainly on insects. DoeZoo also exhibits insectivorous plants and insectivorous animal species. The focus therefore extends from the insects themselves to plants and animals with a corresponding diet.

Admission to DoeZoo includes wildlife golf. DoeZoo also offers an educational guided tour about its animals. The educational museum displays skeletons and stuffed animals and uses the exhibition to explain the anatomy of the animal kingdom. The guided tour focuses on the animals, while the museum focuses on skeletons, stuffed animals and anatomy.

DoeZoo is open daily from 10:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. This daily opening period runs from late morning through the afternoon and provides a clear timeframe for planning your day when visiting Leens.

Oosterhouw and the Regional Landscape

Landhuis en Parktuin Oosterhouw in Leens has a 10,000 m² park garden featuring three centuries of garden art. The estate also includes an 11-metre-high viewing point. The park garden brings together garden art across a large area, while the viewing point on the estate provides a single elevated vantage point.

Oosterstrand, Het Rif and Westerstrand are located in the wider regional surroundings of Leens and are beaches. Vogelpark is one of the parks in the area around Leens.

Walking through Leens

The approximately 12-kilometre “Rondje Leens” hiking route leads from Leens through the hamlet of 't Stort and the villages of Houwerzijl and Ulrum, before returning to Leens. Leens is therefore both the starting point and the return point of the circuit. The approximate length provides a fixed framework for breaks and your own walking pace. For day planning, the route can be divided into sections between Leens, 't Stort, Houwerzijl and Ulrum.

Discover More Places

Other places in the region include Houwerzijl, Wehe-Den Hoorn, Lauwersoog, Molenrij, Vierhuizen, Zuurdijk, Westernieland and Hornhuizen.

For the higher-level travel overview: De Marne.