Echten can be explored through a range of themes: church and architectural history, a monument commemorating the wartime years, and routes by the Tjeukemeer. The attractions have different focuses. When planning your stay, it helps to distinguish between architectural and commemorative history on the one hand, and the lake, water management and routes on the other.

Churches, architectural history and remembrance

The Laurenskerk in Echten was originally built around 1245. A church tower was added on its west side in 1879. The church also has an organ dating from 1871, built by the firm L. Van Dam en Zonen. The dates refer to different parts: the organ is older than the tower, while the original church building dates back much further. The Dutch Reformed Church of St. Laurentius in Echten, its churchyard and its entrance gate are protected as Rijksmonumenten.

The monument “Het kind is er nog” offers another form of remembrance. The bronze sculpture depicts a standing woman with a child hiding behind her. It honours Frisian foster parents who provided safe accommodation for hundreds of Jewish children during the Second World War. Alongside the history of the churches, it commemorates the people who offered protection at that time.

Tjeukemeer: landscape, water management and tradition

The Tjeukemeer, called Tsjûkemar in Frisian and officially, is the largest lake in Friesland. Gemaal Echten is on the south shore, beside the walking and cycling path along the dike; from there, you can look out over the lake. The pumping station was built in 1913 to drain the large Veenpolder van Echten and was designated a protected monument in 2001. The two dates tell different parts of its story: its original purpose and its later monument protection.

The statue Tsjûke & Marchje stands beside the former steam pumping station in Echten, along the walking and cycling path on the south shore. The two sisters once shared a farm in a place that is now in the Tjeukemeer.

Walking and cycling routes

The Kulturele Rûte Tsjûkemar is a 30-kilometre cycling and walking route around the Tsjûkemar. It passes artworks and historic sites and crosses distinctive landscapes. It starts at the Laurenskerk in Echten. You can follow the permanent QR trail De Tsjûkemar by del on foot or by bicycle. As route information can change and QR installations may be updated, check the latest information before setting out.

Rinne yn Frijheid is a freedom walk in and around Echten. It evokes the atmosphere of hard-to-reach routes that provided shelter to people in hiding during the Second World War. The routes have different focuses: the Kulturele Rûte centres on the circuit around the lake and its artworks, historic sites and landscapes; De Tsjûkemar by del uses the QR format, while Rinne yn Frijheid explores wartime history on a walk. This lets you decide which suits your stay: a cycling and walking route with a stated distance, a QR trail or a themed walk.

Discover more destinations: Bantega, Follega, Lemmer, Delfstrahuizen.

For the broader travel overview: Lemsterland.