Holiday apartment in Berkhout – Culture, Water and Family Experiences

Berkhout combines buildings of cultural and historical significance, waterways and experiences for children, offering various ways to get to know the village. If you choose a holiday apartment in Berkhout, you can shape your trip around rural architecture, special details at Berkhouter Kerk, activities on the water and playful discoveries.

Holiday apartment in Berkhout: Culture and rural architecture

Berkhouter Kerk underwent extensive restoration and was refurnished in 2012 and 2013. Since 12 April 2013, it has been used as a cultural centre. Its features include a monumental Van Dam organ, commissioned in 1887 and put into use one year later. There is also a war memorial beside the church in the form of an inset plaque made of black natural stone. It bears the names of four English airmen and five local residents who lost their lives as a result of the effects of war.

Several historic farmsteads complete this picture. Anna Hoeve consists of a residential house with a Stolp barn attached at the rear. Built in an eclectic style, the house probably dates from around 1875 and is regarded as a well-preserved example of late-nineteenth-century rural architecture of general architectural and cultural-historical significance. The Stolphoeve at Bobeldijk 22 dates from around 1850. Its defining features include a decorative wooden gable, pilasters with vases and a round chimney with decorative brickwork.

Smaller architectural details are also worth a closer look. The baarhuisje at Kerkebuurt 172 is a single-storey red-brick building dating from around 1885. Its gabled roof is covered with black Dutch roof tiles and has stepped corbels. From a cultural and architectural-historical perspective, the building is of general significance and is a key part of the church complex. Together with its associated gate piers, Troostwijk is regarded as a predominantly well-preserved example of rural architecture from the last quarter of the nineteenth century, with cultural and architectural-historical significance. The house, built around 1875 as a pensioner's home, stands on the south side of Westeinde; its ridge line runs parallel to the road.

The Stolpboerderij known as Westeinde 276 is regarded as a well-preserved example of early-twentieth-century agricultural architecture of general architectural and cultural-historical significance. According to the inscription on the façade and chimney, it was built in 1910. It is a Stolp building of the Frisian-North Holland type on the south side of Oosteinde, with its ridge line running at right angles to the road. For days focused on culture, Berkhout therefore offers an unusually detailed range of architectural forms, dates and spatial relationships.

Waterways and experiences with children

An extensive boating network in Koggenland, in existence since the early 1980s, runs along Berkhout and through the open landscape of the Westerkogge. It is suitable for flat-bottomed boats, rowing boats and canoes. In Berkhout, families will find play and discovery opportunities for young and old at the De Buitenholle nature playground, including playing and making mud with water and sand. The Kabouterpad in De Hulk between Berkhout and Scharwoude officially opened on 2 March 2022. The 2.2-kilometre route leads through the park and partly through Scharwoude and is suitable for children from around three years of age. When planning a trip, this makes it possible to combine cultural sightseeing, water activities and child-friendly routes.

Other places for orientation: Spierdijk, Avenhorn, Obdam, Scharwoude, Ursem, Oudendijk, Zuidermeer and Hensbroek.

For the broader travel overview: Koggenland.