Hardegarijp: Architectural History and Routes Through the Landscape

Hardegarijp offers two tangible themes for planning a trip: architectural history in the village centre and routes through moorland and woodland landscapes. Most of the distinctive buildings in the centre of Hurdegaryp can be seen along Rijksstraatweg and Stationsweg. For a stay, you can therefore choose between focusing on buildings or on routes through the landscape.

Architectural history in the village centre

Villa Nova is a monumental villa in the eclectic style and was built in 1856 on the commission of Johan Hora Adema. The cast-iron fence dates from the same year. Behind the villa is the original garden, with several monumental trees, a mound and a pond. Eclectic architecture combines design elements from several styles rather than belonging to a single visual language. At Villa Nova, the term therefore describes the design of the building itself.

The so-called hall church, “Hofkerk,” was built in 1711 by master carpenter Eilef Jehannes from Wyns. Until 1711, Hurdegaryp’s former church stood on the left-hand island of what is now Koopmansbosje (the ice-skating grounds). The “Voormalig Notarishuis,” in turn, was built in 1891 on the commission of notary mr. Sjouke de Jong. The construction dates of the “Hofkerk” and the “Voormalig Notarishuis” fall in the early 18th and late 19th centuries, respectively. A hall church has a main space designed as one continuous hall, rather than being divided into several aisles by rows of columns. The term thus draws attention to the spatial form of the church building.

Landscape and routes

The Dobben Hurdegarypsterwarren area contains ancient pingo remnants that formed more than 20,000 years ago during the last ice age. The walking and cycling route along the Dobben Hurdegarypsterwarren is open to the public all year round. On the walking route, you can walk alongside the dobben and observe numerous moorland and woodland birds.

Hurdegaryp railway station is the starting point for several walking and cycling routes. The Swalkroute Twijzelerheide runs along quiet roads between Twijzelerheide and Hurdegaryp. North of the railway line, the route section in question passes through an open landscape of pasture and moorland; the It Bûtenfjild moorland area is also located there. South of the railway line, the Swalkroute passes through an area of hedgerows and sandy ridges. You can therefore choose between two distinct landscapes: open pasture and moorland in the north, and hedgerows and sandy ridges in the south.

As an alternative circuit, the Rondwandeling Hurdegaryp leads to the voedselpark. Established in 2021, the voedselpark includes edible trees and shrubs such as walnut, sweet chestnut and apple trees, as well as various kinds of berries. For choosing a route, this means that the path along the dobben combines landscapes with birdwatching and ice-age landforms, while the alternative circuit has the voedselpark as its destination.

Discover more destinations: Eernewoude, Burgum, Sumar, Wyns, Noardburgum, Ryptsjerk, Aldtsjerk, Oostermeer

For the full travel guide: Tytsjerksteradiel.