Easterlittens: Margarethakerk, terp history and route

Easterlittens offers several different starting points for planning a trip: the architectural history of Margarethakerk, the village’s former layout across terps, and a route that starts in the central village square. This makes it easy to structure a stay around your own interests. The Open Fries Kampioenschap “Jeu de Pelote” was also held in Easterlittens for several years. If you are travelling for this event, check the event dates before your trip so you can plan your stay accordingly.

Margarethakerk: building phases from the 12th to the 15th century

Margarethakerk can be understood through its different building phases. Its nave, made of tuff stone, dates from the 12th century. In church architecture, “nave” refers to the central space of the church; here, it is the oldest of the building elements described. The large, semicircular apse, made of yellow brick, dates from the 13th century. Its shape and material distinguish it from the older nave. In the 15th century, the windows were renewed in the Gothic style and a sacristy was added on the north side. This means there is no single date for the entire church, but rather a sequence: the older nave, the later apse, and still later changes to the windows and north side. If you are interested in church architecture, three questions can help you make sense of it: Which materials belong to which building elements, what shape is the apse, and which additions came later? This chronology makes the development over several centuries easy to follow.

Terp history and the risk of flooding

Another way to explore the area is through its landscape history. Easterlittens once consisted of five terps in the so-called Greidhoeke. A terp is an artificial mound. The largest was raised around 800 AD because of the risk of flooding. Thus, the approximate date is linked to a specific purpose: protection from high water. The five terps describe the former layout of Easterlittens; the date, by contrast, refers specifically to the largest one. The village’s history therefore extends beyond individual buildings to include the adaptation of its settlement pattern to the risk of flooding. The village landscape also includes the chimney of the former dairy, a prominent landmark in Oosterlittens. It was preserved together with the boiler house after the dairy was demolished in 1996/1997. This evidence of industrial history complements the architectural history of Margarethakerk and the former terp layout. In the Skrins nature reserve between Wommels and Oosterlittens, the flower-rich meadows provide birds with nesting grounds in spring. Unlike the historical topics, this bird nesting is explicitly linked to spring.

Plan a hotel stay around your reason for travelling

For a stay without an event as its focus, the church, terp history, or route can provide a theme.

Discover more destinations: Easterein, Reahus, Weidum, Bozum, Wommels, Kûbaard, Mantgum

Return to the main travel overview: Littenseradiel.