Museum Wierdenland

About the museum

The impetus for the museum came in 1990 from the former State Secretary Jaap Scherpenhuizen and the geographer Jan Delvigne; it emerged from the regional history society Middagherland. It opened on 7 June 1994 in the former municipal hall of Ezinge on the Torenstraat. Because this location was hard to reach, the museum moved in December 2008 to a former school building from 1878 on the Van Swinderenweg at the village entrance. Since 2015 it has been permanently registered in the Dutch museum register.

The museum is devoted to the landscape and culture of the wierden (terpen) in the northern Wadden coast region. Particular attention is paid to the wierde of Ezinge, where the archaeologist Albert Egges van Giffen dug in the 1930s and thereby gained international fame, and to the National Landscape Middag-Humsterland, the oldest cultural landscape in the Netherlands. The permanent exhibition tells how people settled and shaped the salt-marsh landscape. One highlight is the double horse grave with a dog, one of the most spectacular archaeological finds in Groningen.

In the Ezinge Wierdenhal stands the reconstruction of a house-barn (longhouse), in the Wierdenhal finds from various wierden are shown, and a timeline added in 2018 places the history of the terpen within the major developments of northern Europe. The museum also serves as an Archaeological Information Point and is run almost entirely by around 100 volunteers.

Highlights

• Double horse grave with a dog from the wierde De Bouwerd
• Reconstruction of a house-barn in the Ezinge Wierdenhal
• Timeline from about 116,000 years ago to the present
• Wierde, 13th-century church and excavation site within walking distance
• Museum café, shop and tourist information point

Permanent exhibitions

• Zaal Ezinger wierde – A reconstructed house-barn and finds from the Iron Age, Roman period and Middle Ages recall Van Giffen's excavations in the 1930s.
• Wierdenzaal – Finds from various wierden show centuries of life on the coast, with the double horse grave including a dog as the highlight.
• Tijdbalk – A timeline places the history of the wierden and terpen within events in northern Europe from about 116,000 years ago to the present.

Founded

1994

Operated by

Stichting Museum Wierdenland

Admission & discounts

Free with the Museumkaart and for supporters.

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

The museum is fully wheelchair accessible; the accessible toilet has an alarm. Animals are not allowed in the museum, except guide dogs for the blind.

Kids & families

Great for kids & families

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

Children's rally, Museum Inspectors project, a play corner for reading and crafts, a laboratory on plants of the region, and children's activities on set dates listed in the agenda.

Getting there & parking

The museum is about 20 km from the city of Groningen; satnav destination Van Swinderenweg 10, Ezinge.

Amenities & dining

• Café
• Museum shop

Museum café with coffee, tea, pastries and snacks; food and drink may be consumed in the museum only there. Museum shop with books, walking and cycling routes and gifts. A tourist information point is located in the building.

Events & venue rental

• Spaces for rent

The café offers catering and rental; costs and conditions on request from the museum.

Plan your visit