Molenaarsgraaf: Village Church, Historic Farmsteads and Connections to Water

Molenaarsgraaf offers several distinct points of interest for planning a trip: the Late Gothic village church, farmsteads from the 17th and 18th centuries, traces of past floods, a route with canoe landing stages, and a cycling route. This lets you consider architectural history and activities as separate areas of focus. Visitors interested in architecture will find specific differences in the church and farmsteads; connections to water range from historic markers to routes through the village.

Architectural History and Early Settlement

The Nederlands Hervormde Kerk is a Late Gothic village church. Its nave is single-aisled; the chancel is narrower and lower, and has a five-sided end. This makes it possible to distinguish the style, spatial layout and shape of the chancel end in a single building.

Hazendonk also adds to Molenaarsgraaf’s archaeological history: it is a donk (raised river dune) with settlement traces dating from the late Stone Age. This extends the view of the village’s history beyond its surviving buildings to include early settlement traces.

A 17th-century farmstead with a straight gable stands at Graafdijk-West 27–28. A section with a cellar on the left lies beneath a pitched roof whose gable runs parallel to the road. At Graafdijk-West 10–11 stands an 18th-century farmstead with a thatched roof. Its tall front façade features brickwork ornamentation, windows with small panes, and three stones marking previous high water levels.

The comparison highlights different features: century and roof type, gable orientation and façade design. Middelmolen is located at Graafdijk-West 57 and is another precisely located point of interest in Molenaarsgraaf.

Water, Landscape and Local History

Three façade stones at Graafdijk West 11 and two at Graafdijk West 28 mark water levels from past floods that affected the Alblasserwaard. The stones thus link specific water-level markers at individual addresses with the history of a larger area.

Along the Graafstroom, the stoepen (raised platforms) are characteristic features of Molenaarsgraaf. There is also a stork’s nest on the village church. Together with the historic farmsteads and water-level stones, these features add landscape and nature connections to the architectural history.

Planning Routes

Route 5, “De Graafstroom,” passes through Molenaarsgraaf. It is 10 km long and connects to Route 5a; there is a canoe landing stage on each side of the weir along that route. The length and connection give you specific information to consider when including this route in your plans.

The Bleskensgraaf-Alblasserwaard route has an alternative starting point at Graafdijk Oost 2 in Molenaarsgraaf. There is a car park at the starting point, on the corner of Graafdijk Oost and Damseweg at junction 13. The two routes differ in the planning details provided: for Route 5, the length and connection are given; for the cycling route, the alternative starting point and parking are specified. Check the latest route and parking information before setting off, as route details and parking availability may change.

Discover more destinations: Goudriaan.

Return to the main travel overview: Graafstroom.