Westwoud: Churches, Cultural Heritage and Landscape

Westwoud is located in West Friesland, surrounded by expansive views and a landscape shaped by agriculture. This brings two distinct sides together for a stay: historic buildings in the village and activities in the open countryside. The surrounding area is ideal for walking and cycling; those who focus on culture will find several examples from different centuries in Westwoud. This lets you choose between exploring local history and spending time outdoors.

Open landscape and Drachterveld

Near Westwoud, between Oosterblokker and Westwoud, lies the 22-hectare Drachterveld water storage area. You can explore the area on foot, by bicycle or by boat; it includes a boating route as well as cycling and walking trails. As a specific landscape, Drachterveld differs from the expansive views of the agricultural countryside.

Churches and architectural history

A Dutch Reformed church stands at Dr.-Nuijensstraat 24. It was built in 1875 to a design by architect A.T. van Wijngaarden. It is considered a rare, well-preserved and authentic example of an eclectic church from the third quarter of the 19th century. The church at Dr.-Nuijensstraat 78 features a different architectural form: it is a three-aisled cruciform church, designed by Th. Molkenboer in 1849. The two buildings differ in architectural type and year of construction. For comparison, you can set the three-aisled cruciform church of 1849 alongside the rare, well-preserved eclectic example from 1875.

The church at Dr.-Nuijensstraat 78 has a rich interior with Neo-Baroque altars and images of saints; the organ was made by L. Ypma in 1863. Alongside the architectural form and design date, this gives you specific details about the furnishings and the history of the organ.

Other traces of history

Other addresses also add to the picture of the village’s history. The ban post at Dr.-Nuijensstraat 128 is a stone boundary post topped with a lion and bearing the year 1754. At Dr.-Nuijensstraat 22, the stolp farmhouse is a largely intact example of rural architecture from the late 19th century. A boundary post and a type of farmhouse thus stand side by side as distinct historical examples.

The oldest church in Westwoud, the Heidens Kerkje, stood at Heidens Kerkhof, at the corner of Noorderboekertweg and Oudijk, until 1876. This site adds an earlier chapter of the village’s history to its 19th-century church buildings.

Getting around and routes

The TOP Westwoud car park is at Dorpshuis De Schalm on Doctor Nuijensstraat, 1617 KC Westwoud. The nearest numbered cycling junction from the TOP is number 83. This gives you a specific place to get your bearings and a junction number for planning your cycling route.

Another boating route in the nearby area runs from Binnenwijzend via Lutjebroek and Grootebroek to Enkhuizen. Unlike the route in Drachterveld, it is described by a sequence of named places. The routes therefore differ: one runs through the named water storage area, while the other is described via several places on the way to Enkhuizen.

Discover more destinations: Oosterleek, Hoogkarspel, Venhuizen, Wijdenes, Hem, Schellinkhout

Go to the overview of the wider area: Drechterland.