Delfzijl: Coast, Beach and Culture

Delfzijl lies between the Dollard and the Wadden Sea. The town combines beaches and water with museums, historic buildings and cultural activities.

Beach, Dollard and Cycling

A walk from the town centre along the Diekloper leads to a large beach. There, you can swim in the Dollard and build sandcastles. This is a way to combine a route through the town with time by the water.

From Delfzijl, you can take a boat onto the Dollard, which is described as part of the UNESCO World Heritage Site. The passenger ship “Dollard” is also the centrepiece of a cross-border cycling tour. The ferry connection lets you cross the bay by bicycle. Timetables vary by season, so it is advisable to check the times that apply to your travel dates. A walk, boat trip and cycling route offer different perspectives on the coastal landscape.

Museums Between Nature and Everyday Life

The MuzeeAquarium combines natural history and cultural history collections with an aquarium. It displays fish and other marine animals from the Wadden Sea and the North Sea. The natural history exhibition covers rocks, minerals, soil structure and fossils. Geological topics and marine animals from two named seas are thus brought together under one roof. The marine aquarium is housed in an original Second World War ammunition bunker.

The museum cottage ’t Hoeske van opoe Iet houses a collection in seven rooms, each arranged around a different theme. It includes everyday objects used by earlier generations between 1735 and 1940/50. Unlike the natural and cultural history themes of the MuzeeAquarium, ’t Hoeske focuses on everyday life through concrete objects and over an extended period.

Culture and Event Dates

More than 100 performances are staged annually at De Molenberg theatre. These include professional, amateur and school performances; film screenings are also held. The spring market also takes place in Delfzijl every year, though its dates vary. If you would like to combine your trip with a particular performance or the market, check the dates in advance.

Industrial History and Historic Traces

Steenfabriek Fivelmonde was founded in 1862 and remains completely intact, although production there has ceased. Today, it serves as a centre for cultural, educational and tourist activities. If you are interested in a particular activity, check the current programme before your trip.

De Adam is a grain mill in Delfzijl on Molenbergplein. The Kleine Waterpoort is also part of local history: it is called De Ruyterpoort because the fleet of the Dutch West India Company came ashore in Delfzijl in 1665 thanks to Michiel de Ruyter. The “Delfzijl Pocket” route leads to monuments, bunkers and other surviving traces of the fierce fighting. While the Waterpoort is associated with a specific historical event, the route brings together several sites and relics.

Discover more destinations: Wagenborgen, Termunten, Termunterzijl

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