Holiday apartment in Warfhuizen: pilgrimage site and waterways
Accommodation in Warfhuizen
Warfhuizen between wierden and water
Warfhuizen developed on two medieval wierden, Warfhuizen and Burum, which were built up on a former ridge of the salt marshes. The two Warfhuizen wierden lie on opposite sides of the Warfhuister Loopdiep; the waterway is connected to the Reitdiep via the Kromme Rakken. The rest of Warfhuizen’s buildings have preserved their characteristic nineteenth-century character. Wierden, waterways, and historic houses therefore shape the way the village is perceived. The elevated settlement form, open waterway, and preserved buildings provide concrete points of reference for exploring the area.
Pilgrimage and ecclesiastical heritage
Since 2001, the church has been used as the Roman Catholic pilgrimage site Onze Lieve Vrouwe van de Besloten Tuin. The Kluizenarij Onze Lieve Vrouwe van de Besloten Tuin is located in a former Reformed church built in 1858. In Warfhuizen, religious use and architectural history therefore meet the landscape themes of wierden and waterways. The combination of a former Reformed church and use as a pilgrimage site gives the church building a clearly recognisable historical depth.
An air-watchtower with a special history
The air-watchtower in Warfhuizen was built in 1955 as part of a semi-secret network of 276 observation posts in the Netherlands as a whole. It is one of 19 air-watchtowers still preserved in the Netherlands and one of three remaining air-watchtowers in the province of Groningen. At the beginning of 2024, the air-watchtower was designated a municipal monument. For those interested in culture, the tower connects the history of a nationwide observation network with a specific structure in Groningen.
Cycling, hiking, and water
Different formats are available for active days. Working and praying on the wierden is a 38-kilometre cycling route. The Waddenland Routeland app guides you step by step along the route Meandering through Waddenland and provides stories, videos, or images at the route points. The hiking trail starts at a small car park next to air-watchtower 701 on Baron van Asbeckweg 2 in Warfhuizen and follows the Kromme Raken river. On the route Meandering through Waddenland, boaters travel slowly through a quiet landscape with waterways and wide fields; there are places to moor and disembark along the way. This allows you to view cycling, hiking, and boating as different ways of exploring the landscape. The 38 kilometres give the cycling route a fixed framework for planning your day. On the water, the slow pace and the opportunities to moor and disembark determine the schedule. For planning a day in Warfhuizen, the 38 kilometres, Tower 701, and the mooring places provide concrete reference points. The three formats therefore differ in route length, course, and mode of movement.
Discover more places
For further travel planning, you can also explore Lauwersoog, Ulrum, Houwerzijl, Pieterburen, Mensingeweer, Zuurdijk, Westernieland, and Leens.
To the overarching travel overview: De Marne.
