Former Courthouse
Kollum
This building, now used as a shop, recalls the time when justice was administered in Kollum. It was purchased by the municipality in 1609 and has served a variety of purposes ever since. The Old Courthouse (Oude Rechthuis) played an important role during the Kollum Uprising of 1797.
Take a look
This building, now used as a shop, recalls the time when justice was administered in Kollum. It was purchased by the municipality in 1609 and has served a variety of purposes ever since. The Old Courthouse (Oude Rechthuis) played an important role during the Kollum Uprising of 1797.
The building was bought by the municipality of Kollumerland in 1609 and converted into a courthouse. It can be recognised by the statue of Lady Justice, which still watches over the street from the façade. The Rechthuis is the oldest stone building in Kollum.
Kollum was given its own courthouse because the distance between Groningen and Leeuwarden was too great to travel in a single day. The ground floor was used as an inn and even included stables for horses and cattle. To this day, the space has continued to serve a variety of purposes.
The Rechthuis played a significant role during the Kollum Uprising of 1797. In February of that year, the arrest of the Orangist supporter Abele Reitzes sparked an uprising in which a crowd stormed the courthouse in an attempt to free him. The revolt resulted in extensive damage and was harshly suppressed, with 168 people being arrested. You can learn more about these events at the statue of Jan Binnes further along this route. The prison cell in the building's basement has been preserved. From the bridge, you can still clearly see the small barred window of the former jail cell.