Tourist attractions Leeuwarden

This 17C palace, the former residence of Princess Marie-Louise of Hesse-Cassel, today houses the Ceramics Museum. The collections in this museum are especially rich: porcelain and stoneware coming from Asia (Japan, China) and europe (Italy, Nethe..

This museum occupies two historic houses: the Eysingahuis (late 18C) and the impressive Chancellerie ( Kanselarij , 1566). Its varied collections illustrate Friesian culture, history and art: remains from archaeological excavations, objects and pho..

This charming structure was built in 1591 in the Dutch Mannerist style. It is graced with a double gable and topped by an elegant octagonal tower. The walls of the 18 C council chamber (the Raadzaal) and the wedding hall (the Trouwzaal) are covered i..

Eise Eisinga, a wool comber who was fascinated by astronomy, undertook in 1774 the construction of an ingenious device that made the movement of the stars appear on the ceiling of his living room (finished in 1781). He was able to achieve a surprisin..

This Gothic brick tower has remained unfinished because of the instability of the ground, which is why it leans so much. From the top there is a beautiful view of the town. On a clear day, you can even see the Wadden islands. Close by, the old wood..

The tall where Mata Hari lived has become a museum and a Friesian literature documentation centre ( Frysk letterkundich Museum en Dokumintaasjesintrum ). At no.43, you will see an attractive stone façade featuring a lion and a strong castle then at n..

This square is dominated by the town hall , a sober classical construction (1715) topped by a 17C clock tower. The Council chamber, in the annex (1760), has a rococo lateral façade. Opposite, you will see the Stadhouterlijk Hof (1881), the former ..

This 13C church was rebuilt in the 15 and 16C. It was laid waste again by the revolutionaries (Patriots) in 1795, during the Batavian Republic. The Nassau Friesians were buried here from 1588. The great organ chest (1727) is by Christian Müller. As..

This red brick construction dates from 1598. It is cantoned at the corners with heraldic lions above which runs a frieze sculpted with motifs. The weighing of butter and cheese took place here until 1880. The large canopy was designed to protect the ..

This wide main road is lined with elegant 18C houses. Some of them still have attractive stone façades: worth seeing are no.52 (sailing ship) and 58 (Pilgrim of St James).

One of the banks of this canal is riddled with caves (kelders). The bridge to the north has a pretty view over the banks of the Voorstreek and the belfry of the church of St Boniface. Also noteworthy is the small statue of Mata Hari , erected in 197..

Located in an old orphanage from the 17C, this museum is dedicated to Friesian wildlife: the composition and evolution of the ground, landscapes(wadden, woods, marshes, areas transformed by man), plants and animals. The permanent exhibition "Fri..

This castle, also known as Heringastate, is preceded by a 17C doorway with scrolled gables. It contains furniture from the 17 and 18C

This old hospice, founded in 1711, provides a picturesque ensemble of low houses opening onto a monumental doorway.

An animal on the way to extinction, the otter still has friends. The Dutch Foundation for the Protection of Otters has created a breeding centre for otters here (closed to the public) and a nature park in which you can discover all the richness of fr..

The castle's beautiful park, on the outskirts of the forest, is accessible to visitors.

This modest church has a crypt with strange properties. Built in the 14C on a small mound and surrounded by a cemetery, it was remodelled in the 19C. In the 17 and 18C, it served as the tomb for eleven people. The bodies were preserved from decomposi..

This is a restored church dating from the 12 and 13C built of tufa and brick. It is fronted by a tower with a pitched roof, bordered it to west by a hemicycle of low houses. The interior is rustic, and contains many worn paintings in the chancel (aro..

Built on a mound, this church has a Romanesque crypt with two elegantly sculpted capitals. The interior is typical of Friesian churches.

This church is typical of the Northern Netherlands,with its steeple roofed with a stepped gable and its graveyard,. The interior is interesting because of the series of 16 memorial coats of arms which decorate the walls. These carved wooden picture..