Eilsum: Warf Village, Church and Oll Deep

Eilsum combines a clearly identifiable settlement history with a medieval church and historic water engineering. This gives you three different perspectives to consider when planning your trip: the dwelling mounds as a defining feature of the village, the church’s construction phases, and the development of the sluice and canal. The Krummhörn Church Tower Tour adds a cycling route through several villages to these themes.

Warf Village and Settlement History

Eilsum was founded as a warf village on a narrow strip of calcareous marshland. It runs from northeast to southwest and lies 5.8 m above sea level. The small central dwelling mound in Eilsum has room for three farmsteads. There are also five other inhabited dwelling mounds, which are also called wehrs. Middelstewehr adds to the picture as a group of farmsteads that originated in the Middle Ages.

Church and Building History

Eilsum’s Evangelical Reformed Church is a medieval brick church. Its nave was built around 1230–1260; the east tower is older. Remains of paintings in the Romanesque zigzag style have been preserved in the apse. Its furnishings also reflect different periods: the pulpit by Casper Struiwig bears the date 1738, while the Late Gothic bronze baptismal font was cast in 1472. This makes it possible to distinguish medieval architectural and furnishing features from later work, rather than viewing the church as the result of a single building phase.

The Graft at Bolkewehrster Weg 2 is also listed in the heritage register as part of a historic monument and has historical as well as urban-planning significance. If heritage status is important to your visit planning, check the current status.

Sluice Town and Historic Canal

In the High Middle Ages, Eilsum was a sluice town with a sea connection. After the old sluice silted up and was demolished in 1461, it was rebuilt at Angernwehr. The canal dug to Greetsiel in 1605 still exists today under the name Oll Deep. These dated developments provide a timeline for the history of water engineering, from the High Medieval sluice town to a canal built in the early 17th century.

Eilsum can be reached by water via a boat landing on the East Frisian canal network. Access conditions and facilities can change, so check the current situation if you are planning to arrive by boat. There is also a public barbecue area that anyone can use. As the availability of public facilities may change, check the current situation before using it.

Cycling Through the Krummhörn

The Krummhörn Church Tower Tour is a cycling route of around 70 km that visits 21 churches in 19 villages in the Krummhörn. In the published order, Eilsum’s Evangelical Reformed Church is the second stop. Route and event details may change in future editions; check the current edition when planning your trip.

The Krummhörn-Greetsiel holiday region has signposted cycling routes with a junction-based system. The Church Tower Tour leads from village to village, passing the Pilsum Lighthouse, the Marble Arena in Uttum, historic windmills, Osterburg Castle in Groothusen, and Manningaburg Castle in Pewsum, as well as the Wadden Sea National Park, which is a UNESCO World Heritage Site. You can also explore the fishing village of Greetsiel along the way.

Discover more destinations: Campen, Rysum, Loquard, Pewsum, Greetsiel, Visquard, Hamswehrum, Upleward.

Back to the main travel overview: Krummhörn.