Leens, Baflo and Pieterburen

The small town of Pieterburen in De Marne is of course best known for the seal sanctuary, but there are many more fun, touristy things to see and do. Situated close to the sea, the place is the starting point for mudflat hikers, but here is also the starting point of the Pieterpad, a walking route that runs all the way to the southernmost tip of the Netherlands. The Gothic St. Peter's Church is also beautiful to visit (the key can be picked up at the Fredericordweg). It is therefore not surprising that this region attracts a large number of tourists. The small town of Baflo is also fun to cycle through. It is not without reason that it served as inspiration for the book Engagement Time by Maarten't Hart and part of the story took place in the romantic town. The mound is centuries old and in the village you can taste the real Groningen, small-scale atmosphere. You cycle to the Verhildersum estate, where you discover that rural life looks very nice in De Marne. The borg consists of a beautiful building and beautiful land where, among other things, a workers' house can be seen. A beautiful, symmetrical garden has been laid out around the castle, whose history dates back to the fourteenth century. It shows a carriage house, a treasure house and a garden gazebo. That garden gazebo was once a tram house in Haren, but was given a suitable repurposing purpose here. Figurative abstract female statues decorate the garden, while flowers and plants grow in the borders. There is also a special part of the garden where herbs are grown. Canals have been constructed around the castle and around the sculpture garden and you can walk around the outer canal, because a walking path has been constructed there. This leads past a dovecote. In 2013, a museum is located in the borg. The building is decorated in nineteenth-century style. Every year in August, the 'historic days' are celebrated here, focusing on life between 1850 and 1950. There is plenty to do on the Verhildersum estate: taste the tastiest dishes in the restaurant, or take a look at the beautiful gardens and orchard on the estate. Then you cycle to the mound village of Rasquert. Rasquert is a small village with 200 inhabitants. Until 1990, Rasquert did not have its own municipality and fell under the municipality of Baflo. The village is almost adjacent to Baflo, but the two places are separated by the Rasquerdermaar, where you can admire the Baffelder Hoogholtje. Rasquert is built on and around a mound. Wierdes are common in Groningen and are artificial (residential) hills where people could flee to higher ground. Over time, one side of this mound has been excavated. A beautiful ice rink has been created here where you can stop and skate. The tour continues to the next municipality, where a Reformed Church is located along the route. The church is located in the elongated regional village of Den Andel, which arose in the thirteenth century on two adjacent dikes. This was one of the first churches in Groningen to incorporate vaults. In 1989, a demolition permit was applied for due to the poor condition of the church, but this was refused. The church was subsequently renovated in 1991 and 1992: it was completely restored and given a new foundation. Now he can handle it for a few years. The Jonge Hendrik mill can also be seen in Den Andel. The tower mill previously had a predecessor, which stood on the north side of Den Andel, but this Noordermolen burned down twice, the first time in 1859, and the second time in 1874. After the second time, a mill was brought from Niekerk. This was rebuilt in 1875 into the current De Jonge Hendrik. The mill operated on a voluntary basis until 1998. The mill was used to peel barley into groats until the 1980s and after a restoration in 2007, the mill was put back into use on a voluntary basis again after nine years. In Westernieland you will see another beautiful church. This Dutch Reformed Church (the key for viewing can be picked up at the key address N. Driessen) was built in the mid-thirteenth century and the tower dates from the fourteenth century. The church was renovated in 1831 and plastered inside and out in 1877. This plaster caused the church to become more humid on the inside and slowly began to rot. In 1958 the church was so rotten that it had to be restored. The tower is built on the west side of the church and is quite low. The reverberation holes for the bell are therefore on the east side of the church, and when the bell is rung it can be heard better in Pieterburen than in Westernieland. The tower was restored again in 1926 with a new type of stone, after the facade had collapsed. The last church you can view is the Martini Church. This oldest church in Groningen was named after Saint Martin and was built in the early thirteenth century. On the west side of the church there was a separate tower that was later added in the early fifteenth century. In 1468 the tower collapsed, which also damaged the church. The church was subsequently expanded further and the new tower was built further to the west around 1475. In the seventeenth century, the roof was no longer safe due to storm damage and lack of maintenance and a completely new roof was placed on the church. However, the new roof pushed the walls apart, so between 1971 and 1975 the original roof was reconstructed. Beautiful wall and vault paintings have been preserved in the church and there is an organ from 1692.