Tourist attractions Balk

This stunning small museum has paintings (oils, watercolours) and drawings by the self-taught artist Jopie Huisman. This Friesian rag and bone man and scrap metal merchant was born at Workum in 1922. His paintings are often moving and show a great in..

This museum will delight you with its many reconstructions of local interiors featuring painted furniture and everyday objects typical of the town, its rich collection of traditional costumes, its series of tiles and ceramic pictures and its pictures..

This elegant construction dates from 1613. Made from brick decorated with sandstone, it protected the port entrance. Its central part forms a bridge over the Geeuw and is flanked by two turrets which overlook the thin roofs. It is inset with arches.

This renaissance palace (1614-1717) has a graceful facade with a steepled fore-building fronted by an 18C gable. The small octagonal belfry contains a carillon . In the Marriage Hall ( Raadzaal ), admire the door by J Gysberts, who also decorated t..

From this water gate and its mill (1755), there is a pretty view over the canal and the busy lakes. In high season they are full of sailing boats.

From the moveable bridge near Spannenburg, there are attractive views over a broad canal which links two lakes.

The main square, flanked by the town hall, the church of St Gertrude and the public weigh house , is a picturesque collection of buildings.

The town hall's high façade dates from the 18C. The old town hall is a small Renaissance building and is decorated with sculpted stone.

This vast Gothic building built in the 16 and 17C has an impressive isolated belfry crowned by a tiny onion dome. The interior has an attractive 18C pulpit and nine stretchers ( gildebaren ) whose paintings illustrate the activities of the Guilds. Th..

This pretty 17C building is topped by stepped dormer windows. It contains the Warkums Erfskip , a museum which traces the history of the town and predominantly that of navigation and the pottery industry (everyday ceramics, typical of Workum).

In this museum, lovers of ice-skating will find skates, toboggans, medals, photos, trophies and of course everything they need to know about the famous tour of 11 towns.

This former farm and its carpentry workshop (1845) are open to the public. Across the street, the village church, topped with a pointed belltower, has been attractively repainted.

Built in the 16C and converted in the 18C, the town hall has an attractive rococo façade with high green shuttered windows and a flight of steps richly sculpted with heraldic lions.

Dedicated to Friesian navigation, this museum has an attractive collection of model boats used in the 18 and 19C; reconstructed interiors of pleasure boats; paintings from the 17, 18 and 19C; workshops for making masts and sails and navigation instru..

This museum presents the great industrial activities of the town: clock making and the processing of coffee, tea and tobacco. The birthplace of Egbert Douwes and an old-style shop form part of the museum.

This vast Gothic church, now protestant, dates from the 15C like most Friesian belfries. Its tower is topped with a pitched roof. Inside, located in the chancel, you will notice the 15C stalls , whose admirable sculptures encapsulate innocence and t..

This old farm, named Yzeren Kou is typically Friesian and is open to the general public. It is a large building, home to an enormous grange and cowshed. The outbuilding is raised to make space for the dairy.

This small museum is home to a restored country grocery store, a rural abode and an 1885 schoolhouse. Further on, the charming 13 C church on a knoll, surrounded by a graveyard, has been restored.

The road uses a narrow strip of land between two lakes, from which it offers beautiful views . The lake to the left ( Sneekermeer ) is one of the most popular Friesian lakes.