Wyldemerk - Stavoren | Elfstedenpad Hiking Trail: Section 5
Emerging from a landscape more wooded than you expected, you continue along the shore of Lake IJsselmeer to the oldest of Friesland’s eleven cities, Stavoren.
This section of the trail starts with a lovely walk along unpaved paths through the forests near the villages of Oudemirdum and Rijs. As you leave the Rijsterbos forest, you are suddenly greeted by a panoramic view out over Lake IJsselmeer near the cliff at Mirns. The cliffs in Friesland may not be very high, but they are respectably old. They were formed by continental ice sheets during the last ice age but one.
As you head back to Lake IJsselmeer, the trail leads you past the bell tower at Mirns and through the little village of Laaksum, which has the smallest fishing port in Europe.
You contin…
Emerging from a landscape more wooded than you expected, you continue along the shore of Lake IJsselmeer to the oldest of Friesland’s eleven cities, Stavoren.
This section of the trail starts with a lovely walk along unpaved paths through the forests near the villages of Oudemirdum and Rijs. As you leave the Rijsterbos forest, you are suddenly greeted by a panoramic view out over Lake IJsselmeer near the cliff at Mirns. The cliffs in Friesland may not be very high, but they are respectably old. They were formed by continental ice sheets during the last ice age but one.
As you head back to Lake IJsselmeer, the trail leads you past the bell tower at Mirns and through the little village of Laaksum, which has the smallest fishing port in Europe.
You continue on your way, past the red cliff and several little sandy beaches on the shore of Lake IJsselmeer, eventually arriving in Stavoren. Though Stavoren is the oldest of the eleven cities in Friesland, it looks younger. Today it is more of a mecca for water sports enthusiasts from the Johan Frisosluis lock onwards. In Stavoren you are surrounded by boats, docks and bridges.
Locations on this route
Oudemirdum
Oudemirdum is a charming village located amidst the forests of Southwest Friesland in the Gaasterland region.
Fountain Church
The Fountain Church is a Dutch Reformed church in the charming little village of Oudemirdum. It was built in 1790 on the foundations of a 13th-century tuff stone church. The second nave on the north side of the church was added in 1926.
Mirnserklif
If you set off from the Rijsterbos forest and walk in the direction of Lake IJsselmeer you will come to the cliff at Mirns. It is a place that attracts kite surfers, kite flyers and beach lovers. The cliff was formed during the last ice age but one.
Mirns Bell Tower
In the graveyard in the village of Mirns there is a bell tower with a hip roof. It was built in 1953, after an American bomber crashed into the old bell tower in 1943, killing everyone on board.
Rode Klif (Red Cliff) at Lake IJsselmeer
At the edge of Lake IJsselmeer there is a red cliff that is 10 metres high. It was formed during the last ice age but one when the land was pushed up by glaciers that advanced from Scandinavia. The forces exerted by the ice created hills in the landscape.
It Suderstrand near Stavoren
The clear bathing water invites you to take a refreshing dive and is also safe for the little ones due to the gently sloping bottom. The beach is within walking distance of the welcoming city of Stavoren. And when the day is done, enjoy a drink or s...
Johan Friso locks
The locks and bridge built in 1966 connect the IJsselmeer lake and the Johan Friso canal.
Museum 't Ponthús
Here the time line of the famous Stavoren stories is brought to life. Why was Stavoren a target for the Vikings? And how about the trading relationship with Hamburg? Or read more about the story of the emergency landing of the Halifax V during the Second
The Lady of Stavoren
From the 15th century on, the flourishing Hanseatic city of Stavoren began to fall upon bad times. It is this period in history that is related in the saga of the Lady of Stavoren. In the saga, all aspects of Stavoren as a trading city are covered.
Stavoren (Starum)
Stavoren (or Starum as we say in Friesland) is very much the main city of the IJsselmeer, being enclosed by the lake on three sides. It is also the oldest city of Friesland, founded around 300 BC at a waterway, and gaining city rights in the 11th century.
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