Appingedam

Appingedam was a substantial trading town on the Damsterdiep in the Middle Ages, with town rights from 1327, and its plots ran back from the street to the water. As families needed more space and could not build sideways, they extended backwards over the canal itself: the kitchens were cantilevered out on wooden and later iron posts standing in the water, so a line of rooms hangs over the Damsterdiep along the back of the houses. The hangende keukens are unique in Europe in this form and are the reason people come; they are best seen from the bridge or the far bank. The town also has the Nicolaikerk with fifteenth-century vault paintings, a Renaissance town hall, and a compact old centre. Appingedam is in the gas-field earthquake zone and reinforcement work has been running on buildings across the town for years.

History

Appingedam grew up around 1200 on the banks of the Delf, now the Damsterdiep, near the old Wierde quarter, and in 1327 its city rights were recognised by the council of the seven Frisian sea lands meeting at the Upstalboom, near today's Aurich (Wikipedia, Appingedam).

What to look for

• Kitchens over the water - rooms cantilevered on posts above the Damsterdiep.
• A form found nowhere else - the hangende keukens unique in Europe.
• The Nicolaikerk - fifteenth-century painted vaults in the town church.
• A compact medieval centre - town rights from 1327 on the old trading canal.

When to go

April to October. Half a day.

What to expect

The kitchens are viewed from outside; they are private homes. Earthquake reinforcement scaffolding is common on buildings here. The town is small - a couple of hours. Museums close on Mondays.

Nearby

Delfzijl and the Eems are east; Groningen is west.

Key facts