Discover Moerkapelle

Moerkapelle can be explored through its distinctive buildings and waterways: a brick church, historic mills and the Rottedijk with its mill remnants. There is also a described walking route and a cycling route leading to Moerkapelle. If you are planning a stay, you can distinguish the local themes by church and architectural history, water management, and routes on foot or by bike.

Church, chapel and local history

The chapel associated with Moerkapelle was first mentioned in 1570. The name Moerkapelle refers to a chapel by or in the marsh. The Hervormde Kerk in Moerkapelle is a brick hall church built in 1662. Its furnishings include a choir screen dating from 1593, which comes from the St. Laurenskerk in Rotterdam. The town’s history thus brings together the chapel’s early mention, a later church building and an older furnishing from Rotterdam.

Stolpenburg and regional architecture

Another historic architectural style can be found at Herenweg 54: this is the Stolpenburg estate, listed as a Rijksmonument. It is a rare North Holland Stolp-type farmhouse with a tall, thatched Stolp roof. Unlike the brick hall church, the focus here is on the farmhouse’s form and roof. Moerkapelle’s architectural heritage therefore encompasses different building types and construction methods.

Mills and water management

Molen No. 5 was built in 1623 as a drainage mill and later converted into the upper mill of a group of screw mills. Molen No. 6 was built around 1650 as the lower mill of the De Honderd Morgen polder, also known as Wilde Venen. The two structures differ in their construction dates and functions: Molen No. 5 is noted for its later role as an upper mill, while Molen No. 6 served as the lower mill of the named polder.

Historic brick waterways, including the screw-pump pit, have been preserved at and beneath Molen No. 6. Six mill remnants from the 18th century also stand along the Rottedijk, west of Moerkapelle. They are located at house numbers 2, 6, 10, 12, 14 and 16. At the mill remnants De Oorsprong at Rottedijk 14 and the Aalsmeerse Molen at Rottedijk 16, the Rotte begins as a small ditch.

Former harbour and routes

The former harbour on the Ringvaart near Moerdijkstraat is part of the history of waterborne trade. It played an important role in trade in the village, including smuggling. The harbour adds another aspect of local history to the mills: trade by water.

A description published in 2021 gives an eight-kilometre circular route along the Rottedijk, returning to the centre of Moerkapelle via Herenweg, Noorddijk/Bentwoudpad and Middelweg. Check local access conditions before setting out. For cycling, the 23-kilometre Fietsroute 1 leads to Moerkapelle, following the Rotte and Korenmolengat below the Zevenhuizerplas. As routes can change, check the current route before you set off.

The two routes differ both in mode of travel and stated length: the circular walk is eight kilometres, and the cycling route is 23 kilometres. These details can help you weigh walking and cycling as different priorities for your stay in Moerkapelle.

Discover more destinations: Nieuwerkerk Aan Den Ijssel, Zevenhuizen.

Go to the main travel overview: Zuidplas.