‘Vlecke’, village and city
The beautiful cycling paths along this route take you to three different places - a 'vlecke', a village and a town. So you get to experience the wonderfully varied countryside and culture of the Frisian landscape.
The route sets off from the ‘vlecke’ of Joure. A ‘vlecke’ is a place with market rights but no town charter. Joure was granted the right to hold a market as far back as 1466. The Jouster Merke, its famous annual market, is held on the fourth Thursday of September. From here, you head for the village of Langweer, where you get to see many well-preserved beautiful old buildings in the small but charming village centre. In the main street there are ancient lime trees that make it very picturesque. Then it's on to the city of Sloten, or ‘S…
The beautiful cycling paths along this route take you to three different places - a 'vlecke', a village and a town. So you get to experience the wonderfully varied countryside and culture of the Frisian landscape.
The route sets off from the ‘vlecke’ of Joure. A ‘vlecke’ is a place with market rights but no town charter. Joure was granted the right to hold a market as far back as 1466. The Jouster Merke, its famous annual market, is held on the fourth Thursday of September. From here, you head for the village of Langweer, where you get to see many well-preserved beautiful old buildings in the small but charming village centre. In the main street there are ancient lime trees that make it very picturesque. Then it's on to the city of Sloten, or ‘Sleat’ as it is known in Frisian. It may be the smallest city in Friesland, but what it lacks in size it makes up for in character.
Sights on this route
Iepenarboretum
In Joure, along the old road to Sneek and at the exit of the A6 Joure-West, you can find the largest elm garden (elm arboretum) of Europe.
The Langweer Mill
In this beautiful and in 2010 completely renovated mill you can now spend the night in nostalgic style.
Langweer
Langweer is a true watersports destination. From this centrally located village in the Frisian lake area, you can sail in all directions.
Langweer Church
Several churches have stood on this site. The first was built at the start of the 13th century and destroyed by a fire in 1517. The bell tower church that stands here today was built in 1777.
Legemeer Bell Tower
The bell tower in the village of Legemeer stands in a graveyard surrounded by a canal. The bell tower we see today is a replica of the original bell tower built in 1720, which was destroyed by an autumn storm in 1972.
Sloten (Sleat)
Sloten (or Sleat as we say in Friesland) is the smallest Elfsteden town in Friesland. This walled mini-city is also called sipelstêd (Frisian for onion city) thanks to the unique shape of an onion.
11Fountains Sloten
The ‘Peewit’ shows a girl standing on the shoulders of a man. She holds a bird in her hand. Under the man’s feet a disheveled pile of buckets, jerry cans and barrels form the base of the fountain.
Grutte Tsjerke Church in Sloten
The late-Gothic Protestant church in Sloten was built in 1647 on the site where the St John's Chapel once stood.
Grutte Tsjerke Church in Sloten
Grutte Tsjerke Church in Sloten
Hervormde kerk
Heerenwal 52
8556 XW Sloten
Washing lines of Sloten
Sloten likes to pay homage to its 'bleaches'. This 'Bleekweide' was a grassy commons area on which freshly washed linen was left to dry and bleach in the sun. Sloten likes to remember this bleaching system along its city moat.
De Kaai corn mill
Near the Lemster Gate you will also find De Kaai corn mill. The windmill stands on a bastion of the city walls, where it still grinds wheat into flour in the traditional and authentic manner. On Saturdays, the mill is open for viewing and flour sales.
Follega Bell Tower
The Follega bell tower stands in a small round graveyard. It has a four-sided dome roof and houses a bell that is 78 cm in diameter, which was cast by P. van den Ghein in 1596.
Doniaga Bell Tower
The Doniaga bell tower stands on a raised graveyard surrounded by trees. The bell tower houses a swinging bell cast by Aernt Butendiic in 1460.
Strandje Doniaga
Strandje met zonneweide en drie vissteigers bij recreatieterrein Doniaga (vlakbij Sint Nicolaasga).
Sint Nicolaasga (Sint Nyk)
Sint Nicolaasga is a village situated amidst the woods, the Tjeukemeer, and the Langweerder Wielen.
St Nicholas Church in Sint Nicolaasga
The Roman Catholic parish church in the village of Sint Nicolaasga is dedicated to Saint Nicholas of Myra. The church is a neo-Gothic cruciform basilica built in 1887 according to plans prepared by the Frisian architect Jan Doedes van der Weide.
St Nicholas Church in Sint Nicolaasga
St Nicholas Church in Sint Nicolaasga
Kerkstraat 12
8521 JZ Sint Nicolaasga
Vegelinbossen Forests
The Vegelinbossen forests were planted on the sand ridge on which the village of St Nicolaasga sits. Mayor Johan Vegilin van Claerbergen arranged for the forests to be planted in 1722. Today this is a beautiful place to go walking, cycling, horse riding.
