Special exhibition
Lytse Ivichheid – Eindeloos Nu
The Poet of Fryslân, Arjan Hut, has selected 49 covers of Frisian-language poetry collections from a hundred years and explores the relationship between design and poetry.
Tresoar
Frisian archive and literature center in Leeuwarden with a library, a treasure room in the stacks and free exhibitions on the history of Friesland.
Opening hoursFree admission
Current exhibitions
Special exhibition
Mini-expo 150 jaar Mata Hari
To mark Mata Hari’s 150th birthday, letters are on display in the reading room that tell of Margaretha Zelle’s struggle for her daughter.
About the museum
Tresoar was created on September 1, 2002, through the merger of several Frisian heritage institutions: the State Archives in Friesland, the Provincial Library, the Buma Library and the Frysk Letterkundich Museum en Dokumintaasjesintrum (FLMD), which was devoted to Frisian literature. In Frisian, the name means roughly “treasury.”
The institution is located at Boterhoek 1 at the foot of the Oldehove, in a building from 1966 designed by Piet H. Tauber, which has been a municipal monument since 2011. In addition to a reading room and library with more than 200 workstations, there is an exhibition space for permanent and temporary presentations, the HistoBios showing Frisian films, and rooms for lectures, courses and concerts.
The holdings include public and private archives from all over Friesland, libraries of the former University of Franeker, the collection surrounding the Oera Linda Book and extensive material on Frisian authors. On tours of the stacks, Tresoar shows special items such as letters from Mata Hari, the marriage record of Rembrandt and Saskia or notes by Erasmus. The exhibitions always focus on Friesland, ranging from literature and art to wartime history.
Highlights
- Treasure room in the stacks with letters from Mata Hari, the marriage record of Rembrandt and Saskia, and notes by Erasmus
- Changing exhibitions related to Friesland, with free admission
- HistoBios with highlights from 100 years of Frisian film history
- Center for Frisian literature, authors and language
- Reading room with more than 200 workstations
- Founded
- 2002
- Director
- Arjen Dijkstra
Admission & discounts
Admission is free.
Free admission to the building and exhibitions; fees apply only for reader’s passes, reproductions and research carried out by staff.
Accessibility
- Wheelchair accessible: no information
- Elevator: no information
- Accessible restroom: no information
- Accessible parking: no information
- Service dogs welcome: no information
- Tactile models & exhibits: no information
- Sign language tours: no information
- Easy-to-read materials: no information
- Audio description: no information
According to Tresoar, the tours of the stacks are also suitable for people with limited mobility.
Kids & families
The museum hasn’t published any information on this – please ask the museum directly.
Getting there & parking
By public transit
Boterhoek
From Leeuwarden station, bus line 6 (toward Bilgaard) to the Boterhoek stop; on foot from the station, about a quarter of an hour through the city center.
By car
Parking available
Parkeergarage Oldehove directly opposite at the foot of the Oldehove (entrance on Boterhoek).
Amenities & dining
The museum hasn’t published any information on this – please ask the museum directly.
Events & venue rental
- Spaces for rent
- Corporate events
Several meeting rooms of various sizes, most with a projector or digital whiteboard and Wi-Fi; catering by arrangement, surcharge in the evenings and on weekends. Since September 2025, no alcohol is served at events.
Inquiries & detailsPlan your visit
| Guided tours | yes |
|---|---|
| School programs | yes |
| Good to know | Tour of the stacks and treasure room on the last Thursday afternoon of every month (just over an hour), registration via Tresoar. The HistoBios in the reading room shows a continuous film program. Educational programs for primary and secondary schools as well as universities. |
