A Day in Leeuwarden

Canal running through Leeuwarden's city center

I recently went on a day trip to Leeuwarden, which is the capital city of Friesland (Fryslân is actually the official name - more on that later), the province that is just to the west of Groningen.  Accompanied by my husband and a pair of friends, we set out to explore what the city had to offer in terms of museums, food, and drinks. 

What is initially striking about Friesland is that, upon arrival in the province, one is greeted by signs that are in both Dutch and West Frisian (also known as West Fries).  West Frisian, which to me sounds like a mixture of Dutch and Old English, is widely spoken there and this is why Friesland's official name is Fryslân.  Although we had a new language in the mix, this did not at all hamper our ability to get around Leeuwarden, as everyone we encountered spoke Dutch and as in the rest of the Netherlands, many people were also fluent in English.

We started our tour of Leeuwarden at the train station where we stepped off of our sneltrain from Groningen, which took just over 30 minutes from one city to the other.  Then, we walked the short distance to the Leeuwarden VVV (tourist information center) to pick up maps and postcards.  From there, we set out on foot across Leeuwarden's very compact and very walkable city center for the Fries Museum and Verzets Museum.

Leeuwarden's beautiful train station

The Fries Museum, which occupies the basement and first 2 floors of the same building as the Verzets Museum, has an assortment of historical items and paintings from Friesland's history, a beautiful silver collection, ceramics, and modern art.  Most of the displays here are in Dutch, but it is possible to get an English language guide to the museum when paying for your ticket.

The Fries Museum

Interpretive display about Mata Hari, the femme fatale and former Leeuwarden resident

The Fries Museum's modern art room

The Verzets Museum Friesland chronicles the struggles of the Dutch when they were occupied by German forces during World War Two, telling the stories of Jewish victims of the Nazi invasion of the Netherlands, as well as stories from the resistance movement in Friesland.  In the back of the museum is a small cinema that screens various short films that tell stories from World War Two. I felt that the Verzets was an incredibly powerful museum and it is worth visiting the museum complex just to learn more about the stories that are told within its exhibits.  Like the Fries Museum, the exhibits in the Verzets Museum are in Dutch; however, you can find laminated cards with English translations hanging next to each set of exhibits.

Verzets Museum memorial to the residents of Friesland killed in the resistance to occupying forces during World War Two

After the Fries Museum and the Verzets Museum and a quick stop for lunch, we took a leisurely walk around Leeuwarden's city center, enjoying the way it beautifully incorporates its central canal into the cityscape.

Part of that cityscape is the Oldehove, one of Leeuwarden's most notable landmarks.  The Oldehove is a large old tower. It is not unlike those typically found in Dutch cities and definitely not as remarkable or as tall as many of the old towers I've seen elsewhere.  But one thing sets it apart - it has a noticeable tilt.  You can see it for yourself in my photos below. 

The Oldehove, Leeuwarden's leaning tower

The Oldehove is leaning away from the camera in this photo

From the Oldehove, we strolled through the Noorderplantage, which is a lovely park situated along a canal in the northwestern portion of the city center.

The Noorderplantage

A statue depicting a bicycling woman during the last winter of World War Two, in honor of women who transported food to those who were in hiding during the war

After visiting the Noorderplantage, we came back to the city center for a visit to the Boomsma Distilleerderij, where we learned about the processes involved in making Boomsma's Beerenburger bitters and genever, followed by a sampling of distilled spirits in Boomsma's tasting room behind the room housing the informational displays.

Boomsma Beerenburger: you can still buy it in the old-style ceramic bottles

A photo from the spirits tasting in Boomsma's tasting room

We ended our day in Leeuwarden with an excellent dinner at Yucatán Mexican Restaurant, which is also located in the city center.  It was very surprising to find good Mexican food so far from Mexico, and we were thoroughly impressed with the fresh ingredients, large portions, attentive service, and a menu that included a lot of vegetarian dishes. 

Yucatán Mexican Restaurant in Leeuwarden