Niehove

Before the dykes were built, the clay country of Groningen and Friesland flooded regularly, and people lived on wierden - artificial mounds raised by hand over generations, high enough to keep house, church and stock above the water. Hundreds were built from about 500 BC; many were later dug away for their fertile soil and sold as fertiliser. Niehove is the most complete surviving example of the village form that resulted: the church stands on the highest point of the mound, a ring road circles it, radial lanes run down the slope, and the whole plan is a set of concentric rings visible from the air and legible on the ground. It is a working village of a few hundred people, quiet, with a Romano-Gothic church and no facilities to speak of. The Westerkwartier around it has several other wierde villages of the same kind.

What you actually see

• A village on a mound - built up by hand to stay above flood water.
• Concentric streets - a ring road round the church with radial lanes down the slope.
• The most complete wierde form - the plan surviving where most were dug away.
• A working village - a few hundred people, no facilities, entirely ordinary.

When to go

April to October. Two hours.

Honest expectations

There is nothing here but the plan and the church - an hour at most. No shops or cafes. The plan is easier to grasp from a map than on the ground. Public transport is very limited.

Nearby

Winsum is east; Lauwersmeer and Zoutkamp are north-west.