Jaap van 't Veen's photos with the keyword: Ljouwert

The Grote of Jacobijnerkerk was originally a chapel of the Dominican or Jacobin monks; a monastery which was founded in 1245. The church itself was built between 1275 and 1310 and therefore it is the oldest building in Leeuwarden. In 1392 the building was badly damaged by a fire, but two years later restored. Early 16th century an aisle was added and later the church was extended with a bay. The gothic building was converted into a protestant church during the reformation and lost her altars and many of the decorations. The church is still used by the protestant community of Leeuwarden for their services The Grote of Jacobijnerkerk is one of the three churches in the Netherlands with a royal crypt. Between 1588 and 1765 sixteen members of the Frisian branch of the Nassau family - the ancestors of the current Dutch royal family - were entombed in this church: six stadtholders of Friesland, their spouses and children. Main image: Oranjepoortje (Orange gate) In 1663 a portal in classical style was added to the choir, especially for members of the Nassau family. The current Oranjepoortje still consists of an outer and inner gate, of which only the former has doors. The triangular pediment was given a new Orange Tree in 1948.

Oldehove was an artificial dwelling mound in the provice Frisia, which - together with Nijehove and Hoek - became the town of Leeuwarden in 1435. In the same year, Leeuwarden received city rights. In the late 9th century a Catholic church - dedicated to Saint Vitus - was built on that mound. Construction of the adjoining Late Gothic tower began in 1529, after the citizens of Leeuwarden demanded a tower taller than the one in the city of Groningen, the Martinitoren. The original plan included attaching a new church to the tower, which would replace the old Saint Vitus church, but this was never realised. Master builder Jacob van Aken was unlucky from the start, because the tower began to sink during construction. In an effort to compensate for the tilt, it was decided to continue to build perpendicular on top of the leaning bottom. Because of this the tower is also curved. Construction was subsequently halted in 1533 and has never been resumed. The tower never reached its intended height of about 120 meters. In 1595–1596, the then derelict church was demolished, but the tower remains. Although the Oldehove - as the tower is called - has never been used for special purposes, nevertheless it acquired a symbolic status. Inhabitants of Leeuwarden are proud of their Oldehove. “I feel rather homesick, when I cannot see the Oldehove”, is a well-known saying among the locals. The Oldehove is 39 meters high; the number of steps to reach the top is 184. The angle of leaning is 1,99 meters. The Oldehove has been used as timepiece, storage space and observation post; nowadays the tower is used by the Historisch Centrum Leeuwarden (Historical Center Leeuwarden).

Gasthuizen have been a form of housing for poor people for several centuries. Gasthuizen can be found in most cities in the Netherlands, and were generally built with community in mind and by the church. In the city centre of Leeuwarden one of the prettiest is the Sint Anthony Gasthuis . The Sint Anthony Gasthuis - also called Sint Anthoon - started in the Middle Ages. The oldest mention of the guest house dates from 1425, ten years before the settlements of Nijehove, Oldehove and Hoek were merged into the city of Leeuwarden. The current guesthouse is officially called the Nieuw Sint Anthony Gasthuis and the buildings dates from 1864. This section consists of four neo-classical pavilions with characteristic facades bearing the arms and names of the noble families who were associated with the guest house as benefactors in early history, such as Burmania, Minnema, Wiarda and Auckama. Since the last renovation was completed in 1990, the guest house has focused solely on housing for the elderly. Elderly people from the age of sixty can rent a flat in the Sint Anthony Gasthuis .