Jaap van 't Veen's photos with the keyword: gemeente Westerkwartier

The Kerk van Ezinge (Church of Ezinge) is a single nave Romanesque church, which was built in the 13th century. The free-standing tower also dates from this period. The original entrances to the church are bricked-up. On the south side was the entrance for men - with a separate entrance for priests - and on the north side the entrance for women. The church was restored in 1959 and is recognized as a national monument. The detached tower and the house built against the tower also have the status of a national monument. The small building beside the tower was originally a vergery and school. In 2011-2013 church and organ were restored again. The buildings are located on the edge of a partially excavated wierde (a man made mound), protecting them against the sea. I have used some pictures from 2007, because nowadays trees largely hide the buildings almost completely (PiP1). Ezinge is a village in the north of the province of Groningen; it is the oldest, constantly inhabited village in the Netherlands and is in archaeological context referred to as "the Pompeii of the North". The village is a protected village area

Not the most impressive, beautiful or oldest church, but most probably one of the most remarkable churches in the Netherlands is Kerkje Harkema . Around 1960, livestock farmer Albert Harkema became the owner of a monastery farm and the surrounding farmlands. Harkema soon started with digging and expanding of the old moat around the farm and in miniature he imitated the head-neck-torso farm as a shelter for the ducks. Later on he constructed the tower, followed by the construction of a miniature version of the former hospice of the nearby Abbey of Aduard. He used 12.000 bricks from Belgium, the organ from the Dutch village of IJhorst and Maria-statues of from more southern places. Forty years later his long cherished wish - building his own church - became reality. A hidden gem in the middle of nowhere, surrounded from all sides by more than 2.000 years old landscape. Next to the church is a teahouse, also built by Harkema.

The village of Niehove dates back to before our era. Initially it was called Suxwort (Zuidwierde); around the year of 1200 it got its current name. Niehove is a beautiful example of a wierde village: a wierde is a man made elevation that served as a location for villages and as a refuge during rising water. Under the name Suxwort the village was for centuries the capital of Humsterland, which at that time - when the sea came much further inland - was a real island. Niehove remained largely unchanged through the centuries. The village resembles a kind of spider’s web on its round wierde . The little red brick houses are located in two circles around the church, with their backs turned to the fields. The church of Niehove (couldn’t find a ‘real’ name) is located on the top of the wierde . The Roman-Gothic church was built around the year of 1230, on the spot where a little wooden church has stood. Until the 16th century it was the only stone building in the village. It was not until the 18th century that the church was furnished with benches. Before then, churchgoers had to stand: men at the south side and women at the north side. For a long time, the Niehove churchyard was separated from the street by a circular canal, which was to force ghosts to remain at the churchyard and prevent them from venturing out into the village. Today the church has an interesting visitor centre with information about the village and Humsterland. It is also used for events and weddings.