Fries Landbouwmuseum

Current exhibitions

About the museum

According to the museum itself, the history of the Fries Landbouwmuseum goes back to December 1925, when a first agricultural exhibition was shown at the Fries Museum. A small collection gradually grew into an independent museum that moved several times: from Oentsjerk to Eksmoarre (Exmorra), later to Earnewâld and finally, in 2018, to Leeuwarden.

Since then the museum has occupied a farmstead protected as a Rijksmonument (national monument), designed in 1909 by the architect W. C. de Groot for the Sint Anthony Gasthuis. The articulated building deliberately departs from the usual Frisian farm types, because studies on bovine tuberculosis had shown that conventional cowsheds were unhealthy. The farmhouse is richly decorated with Art Deco tiles; three 18th-century Makkum tile panels come from the predecessor farm. The museum rents the farmstead, which today lies in the new Middelsee district, from the Stichting Alde Fryske Pleatsen.

In 2020 the Stichting Us Mem joined, and in 2021 the museum merged with the Nationaal Veeteelt Museum. After renovation and expansion, co-funded by a bequest from dairy farmer Jeen Wouda, it reopened in May 2025 together with an exhibition on the Friesian horse. The collection comprises some 50,000 objects, books and images, including paintings by Ids Wiersma and Tjerk Bottema as well as ten-meter-wide landscape paintings by Aldert van der Poort from 1805.

Highlights

• Exhibition "De wereld van het Friese paard" featuring the mounted stallion Keje
• Listed model farm by W. C. de Groot (1909) with Art Deco farmhouse
• Permanent exhibitions on dairy farming, livestock breeding and arable farming
• Visitor favorites: dairy cow Jantsje and breeding bull Sunny Boy
• Ten-meter-wide landscape paintings by Aldert van der Poort (1805)

Permanent exhibitions

• De wereld van het Friese paard – Interactive exhibition on the Friesian horse, from working animal on the farm to internationally sought-after film and sport horse.
• Tijdlijn – Timeline created for the centenary on the links between the museum, agriculture and society.
• Zuivel – Permanent exhibition on Frisian dairy farming, complemented by sections on livestock breeding and arable farming.

Founded

1925

Operated by

Stichting Fries Landbouwmuseum

Director

Peter Wester

Admission & discounts

Free with the Museumkaart and for members of the friends' association. Tickets also available at the desk; no reservation needed.

Accessibility

• Wheelchair accessible
• Elevator: no information
• Accessible restroom
• Accessible parking: no information
• Service dogs welcome
• Tactile models & exhibits: no information
• Sign language tours: no information
• Easy-to-read materials: no information
• Audio description: no information

Ground-level rooms, step-free entrance, ramps at higher thresholds, two free loaner wheelchairs and seating without armrests. The front house is barely accessible with mobility scooters or large power wheelchairs because of a tight corner. Drop-off directly on the museum grounds (about 30 m to the entrance). Low-stimulus visits one hour before opening by arrangement.

Kids & families

Great for kids & families

• Family tours & workshops
• Activity booklet, scavenger hunt or kids’ audio guide
• Hands-on stations

Hands-on stations: carry two milk pails with a yoke, milk practice udders, trace calf drawings; a search game for hidden animals for children up to age 7 and a quiz trail for older kids, plus a photo booth. Regular children's activities.

Getting there & parking

From September 21 to October 16, 2026, access is changed due to roadworks: the northern access via the Redbadwei (near Goutum) is closed; approach via the southern Redbadwei opposite Lidl. Tour buses cannot reach the museum during this period.

Amenities & dining

• Café
• Restaurant: not available
• Museum shop

Foyer with coffee, tea, soft drinks, cookies and cake (self-service); catering for groups and rentals by arrangement through the in-house caterer Mama Mascha ~ mei Nynke. Museum shop with books, regional products and souvenirs.

Events & venue rental

• Spaces for rent
• Private parties
• Corporate events

Up to 100 guests.

Two presentation rooms (approx. 20–100 people) with projector, screen and sound system, plus a smaller meeting room, e.g., for family celebrations, courses, training sessions and lectures; combination packages with It Fjildhûs and Dairy Campus.

Plan your visit