OLDEHOVE

It is the city's leaning tower, which was never completed. The Oldehove Tower has become a true symbol of Leeuwarden and is the pride of its inhabitants. When the city became the capital of Friesland in 1504, there was a need for a large tower as a symbol of power. It was originally intended to be taller than the Martinitoren in Groningen. The architect Jacob van Aken, aware of the risk of the clay soils in Friesland, strengthened the base of the tower and used hard lime and clay successively to avoid the problems. In vain, because the tower collapsed from a height of ten meters, making it a leaning tower like in Pisa. The construction then resumed at right angles to try to catch up with the inclination. Oldehove is therefore not only a leaning tower, but also twisted! It is said that the architect died of grief during the construction, and we can understand why... The land on which the tower stands was the most important cemetery of the city. From the top of the building, the view of the city and its surroundings is impressive. The inhabitants are extremely proud of this unique tower and a Frisian expression says: " A'k de Oldehove niet siën ken, dan foël ik my onwennich " (when I don't see the tower, I feel bad). In total, it has 183 steps, a pity for some that the electric elevator has disappeared. Until 1599, it had two different accesses, east and west. Every year, several tens of thousands of visitors go there.