Holiday apartment in Zoutkamp: Harbor, History and Lauwersmeer

Zoutkamp combines the history of a fishing town with a harbor landscape, waterways, and clearly visible traces of times gone by. The Zoutkamp Fisheries Museum is located at the old inner harbor in a former monumental Rijkswaterstaat buoy shed. At the same time, Zoutkamp lies at the foot of Lauwersmeer National Park—a townscape where maritime history and expansive landscapes stand closely side by side.

Harbor history among small houses and old buildings

In the faithfully reconstructed Siegerlida’s Hoeske, you can see a Zoutkamp fisherman’s house furnished as it would have been around 1900. The house shows how people lived and worked in the past. The atmosphere of old Zoutkamp is also still clearly preserved in Vissersstraat and Kerkstraat, with their narrow streets and small houses. The oldest little house in Zoutkamp also stands at the corner of these two streets.

The town’s history dates back to the “Soltecampe” fortification, which Spanish soldiers built in 1576. Its structure forms the basis of Zoutkamp’s present-day street layout. The Oude Kerk was built in 1836 on the fort’s northeastern bastion. At the Kalkoven, you can also see a replica of a lime kiln, where shells were once burned to produce lime for building materials.

A look at the 19th century shows how strongly the harbor was once shaped by fishing: at that time, it was home to 25 fishing boats and a ferry bound for Schiermonnikoog. Today, the inner harbor serves as a marina. At the end of Reitdiepskade stand the Kleurige huisjes Zoutkamp, a row of colorful houses. A shrimp auction takes place in the warehouses near these houses.

Water landscapes and routes around Zoutkamp

The Lauwers, the Reitdiep, and the Hunsingokanaal meet at the Zoutkamperril. In the outer harbor, Kaap Garmt, a copy of the beacon on Engelsmanplaat, offers a viewpoint over the Zoutkamperril and Lauwersmeer. The old outer dike runs along Reitdiepskade and continues toward the town.

The Zoutkamp Fisheries Museum has a Tourist Information Point that provides information about cycling, walking, and bicycle routes, as well as attractions in the surrounding area. The Dorpswandeling Zoutkamp begins and ends at the Fisheries Museum. This allows you to combine the town’s history with a walking tour that starts and finishes in the same place.

For a longer cycling tour, the Haven tot haven route follows old dikes and Lauwersmeer and passes through the expansive natural landscape of Lauwersmeer National Park. The route connects the fishing village of Zoutkamp with the harbor of Lauwersoog and the Wadden Sea UNESCO World Heritage Site.

Historic ships and maritime experiences

The Fisheries Museum regularly organizes special trips on the Reitdiep, Lauwersmeer, and the Wadden Sea aboard the historic fishing vessels ZK 4 Albatros and ZK 31 Neptunus. During the Beurtvaarten with the ZK4, the ship travels from Zoutkamp to Groningen on Saturdays and from Groningen to Zoutkamp on Sundays from May to September. A taxi takes participants back to the starting point.

Every year at Pentecost, the entire fishing fleet returns to welcome the new shrimp queen in Zoutkamp. Visitors to Zoutkamp can therefore focus on narrow historic lanes, museums, and buildings; on cycling and walking routes; or on trips across the surrounding waters.

The right accommodation idea for your trip

When choosing a holiday apartment in Zoutkamp, you can base your decision on the experiences that matter most to you. The town’s history can be seen in the old street layout, at the fortification, and in the Fisheries Museum; outdoors, routes lead along dikes, through the landscape of the Lauwersmeer area, and as far as the Wadden Sea. A holiday apartment or holiday home thus becomes part of a travel plan that combines harbor, culture, outdoor activity, and water-based experiences, without every day having to feel the same.

More places for planning your trip

For further trip planning, you can also visit Wehe-Den Hoorn, Molenrij, Houwerzijl, Hornhuizen, Warfhuizen, Leens, Zuurdijk and Ulrum.

For the overview of the wider region: De Marne.