Wijdenes: Harbor, Routes and Village History

Haven Wijdenes is one of the recreational areas in Drechterland and brings several of these interests together in one specific place.

Harbor, water and a short stay

Haven Wijdenes is a resting place for a day out by boat. You can also sit there during walks or bike rides along the water. A small bathing beach lies right next to the harbor entrance. This makes the harbor a focal point for several kinds of recreation by the water, from a short stop on the shore to a swim at the beach.

Visitors can stay for up to three nights in the small harbor of Wijdenes for a fee. If you are planning to make use of this option during your stay, take note of both the fee and the limit of no more than three nights.

Routes with different highlights

The Wijdenes Route leads to the small harbor on the Markermeer. The Drieban Route passes through Wijdenes’s historic settlement strip and along the Westfriese Omringdijk. On the Drieban Route, the path crosses grassy embankments through the De Drieban polder; the landscape there is quiet and expansive. The routes therefore differ in their stated destinations and landscapes: the harbor and settlement strip contrast with the dike and open polder landscape.

The Wijdenes Route and the Drieban Route are described in a leaflet from December 2019; their routes may change. Check the current route before setting out. A walking route from Enkhuizen in the direction of Wijdenes offers views across the IJsselmeer and the Markermeer. To help you find your way, you can choose between a route with the harbor as its destination, the Drieban Route through the historic settlement strip, and a walk with views of both bodies of water.

Building history in Kerkbuurt and Wijdenes

The Hervormde Kerk at Kerkbuurt 72 was extended in 1863 with a south transept arm. Its north wall is built of old stone. Masonry adjoins the east side and may belong to a choir dating from the 15th century. The church tower consists of three sections and has a spire dating from 1893. The church thus brings together different building phases and an explicitly uncertain historical attribution.

Two houses in Kerkbuurt also show different architectural styles. Kerkbuurt 78 is an 18th-century house with wooden walls and a tall chimney. Kerkbuurt 80 is a village house dating from the 18th to 19th century, with wooden side walls and a later front façade. The houses therefore differ both in their stated construction periods and in the design of their walls and façades.

De Stofmolen is a grain mill in Wijdenes. The present mill was built in 1911 using parts of Het Vette Schaap from Zaandijk. Its history thus links a building in Wijdenes with parts of a mill from Zaandijk.

Discover more destinations: Westwoud, Hoogkarspel, Hem, Oosterleek, Schellinkhout, Venhuizen.

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