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Start your bike tour in Leeuwarden. Willem Lodewijk van Nassau-Dillenburg, the nephew of William of Orange, became the first Frisian Stadtholder here in 1584 during the Eighty Years' War. In the beginning, the Frisians were not too fond of him but eventually he got the nickname 'Us Heit' (Our Father).
This Frisian branch of the Nassau family continued the extinct Orange branch in 1702 and are therefore the direct ancestors of the current Dutch royal family. As regent for William IV, Maria Louise van Hessen-Kassel was the last separate stadtholder of Friesland. She was also loved in the city and was therefore called Marijke Meu (aunt Marijke).
To get into a noble mood, you can fir…
Start your bike tour in Leeuwarden. Willem Lodewijk van Nassau-Dillenburg, the nephew of William of Orange, became the first Frisian Stadtholder here in 1584 during the Eighty Years' War. In the beginning, the Frisians were not too fond of him but eventually he got the nickname 'Us Heit' (Our Father).
This Frisian branch of the Nassau family continued the extinct Orange branch in 1702 and are therefore the direct ancestors of the current Dutch royal family. As regent for William IV, Maria Louise van Hessen-Kassel was the last separate stadtholder of Friesland. She was also loved in the city and was therefore called Marijke Meu (aunt Marijke).
To get into a noble mood, you can first take a tour of the city, past the old houses of the Nassaus. The Stadhouderlijk Hof dating from 1564 was originally built for the steward of Philip II of Spain. In 1587, Willem Lodewijk went to live there and so it became the Stadhouderlijk Hof.
After her regency, Maria Louise had the Princessehof built. She actually had a number of houses merged into one royal residence. The Frisian members of the House of Orange were buried in the Grote Kerk (church), where they had their own entrance. You can recognise it by the Orange tree above the gate.
From Leeuwarden you then cycle to the western wadden region. The Frisian nobility came from the various villages in this area. These rich Frisian families, such as the Van Burmanias, Van Eysingas and Van Cammingha, had a lot of power and influence. They did not accept the Frisian stadtholders because they saw the Naussaus as interlopers and they considered themselves more important. Frisian political relations and intrigues of that time resemble soap operas.
The families lived in large country estates or manors. Many villages had such manors. The nobility also had beautiful gardens laid out in their country estates. Many of these manor houses remained in the hands of the same families for centuries. The route takes you along different manor houses and castles that are reminders of the rich history of prosperous Friesland.
In the heart of Leeuwarden city centre, you will find the magnificent Fletcher Hotel-Paleis Stadhouderlijk Hof.
In the middle of Leeuwarden's historic city centre stands the 18th-century city palace of Maria Louise van Hessen-Kassel, princess of Orange Nassau, ancestor of King Willem-Alexander. The world-famous M. C. Escher was also born in the same building.
The Grote of Jacobijnerkerk is the oldest and, from an architectural point of view, the most important church in Leeuwarden.
Poptaslot, the jewel among the Frisian Stinzen, called, to the last States and occupant, the wealthy lawyer Dr. Henricus Popta. From his death in 1712 the estate with gardens, canals and ports increasingly managed by 4 guardians. The decor is still m...
In het centrum van Franeker staat de Camminghastins gedateerd rond 1500. Kom eens gezellig een kop koffie drinken in de Camminghastins, want tegenwoordig huist er een een konditorei.
Sinds 2017 is in de historische Botniastins de nieuwe Franeker Academie gehuisvest. Er worden lezingen gehouden, bedrijven en instellingen kunnen er vergaderruimten huren, en er worden onderzoeksprogramma's uitgevoerd.
Museum Martena is the museum of the city of Franeker. Traditionally Franeker is one of the eleven cities of Friesland, it has a historic center with canals, a street plan dating from the Middle Ages and many remarkable old buildings.
Eén van de grootste state van Fryslân. Een archeologisch rijksmonument waarvan de prachtige poort nog intact is.
De Ropta State een monumentale boerderij met herenhuis en prachtig aangelegde tuin.
Vrij toegankelijk park dat zich bevindt op het terrein van de oude Hemmemastate.
In 1899 is de oude state afgebroken en vervangen door een “slot”. Dit gebouw bestaat nog steeds en is gelegen op het eiland in de slotgracht. Het park heeft een romantisch karakter met elementen uit de Engelse landschapsstijl en een zeer rijke stinzenflora.
Je kunt heerlijk rustiek kamperen op Landgoed Martenastate; geniet van de natuur, het gefluit van de talrijke vogels en de schone lucht. Je vindt het intieme natuurkampeerterrein van Landgoed Martenastate verscholen achter en in de luwte van een statige rij eeuwenoude beuken.
Dekema State was originally a noble residence, where several families lived until 1996. The noble residence and the gardens are now open to the public.
