Huize Olterterp

Originally, the castle of the Van Boelens family stood on the site of the current Huize Olterterp. Members of this family owned a large part of the area in and around Olterterp. In the nearby church of Olterterp, a coat of arms commemorates Ayzo van Boelens. His grandson Ambrosius Ayso van Boelens had the Boelens Castle built in 1793. The castle was demolished in 1906 and replaced by a country house. The landscape style of the associated Park Olterterp is reminiscent of the landscaping of Lucas Pieters Roodbaard, who also created the parks of Lyndenstein and Harinxmastate in this area. The building was renovated in the nineties, but most of the original character has been preserved. Since that time, Huize Olterterp has been used as the headquarters of the Frisian nature conservation organization It Fryske Gea. The property is recognized as a national monument. The estate is freely accessible.