Joure brings together the history of a Frisian vlecke—a village with an urban character—with museums, historic windmills and a freely accessible park. The town lies at a junction of waterways and roads where merchants from every direction came together to trade goods. Today, too, you can explore Joure from different perspectives: along the shops and terraces on Midstraat, on a museum visit or outdoors in Heremastate Park.
Midstraat, the museum and Frisian coffee history
Local shops and specialty stores line Midstraat, with terraces along the way. From De Kolk, you can walk or cycle to the marina or Midstraat. The Joure Tourist Information Centre (VVV Joure) is in a monumental building at Midstraat 99. The same site is also home to Museum Joure, with its coffee room and chamber of antiquities, as well as the museum shop De Witte Os. De Witte Os is registered as a Dutch national monument, a Rijksmonument.
Museum Joure is a museum dedicated to makers, on the site where the world-famous coffee brand began. Its buildings include the distinctive little shop De Witte Os, a KLM pavilion dating from 2018, the manor house, the warehouse and the birthplace of founder Egbert Douwes. The route through Frisian clockmaking includes a clockmaker’s workshop and the world’s largest collection of Frisian clocks. This brings coffee, crafts and clockmaking together in the museum, without limiting your visit to a single subject.
At the Koffieproeverij, you can prepare and taste different kinds of coffee yourself and learn how coffee gets its flavour. When visitor numbers are high or groups are visiting, the tasting may close temporarily, so check in advance whether it will be available during your visit. A visit to Penninga’s Molen also combines craftsmanship and regional products: you can meet the miller, hear stories and buy wheat, rye and spelt products. The mill is open on Saturday mornings from 09:30 to 12:00 and by appointment. Opening hours may change, so it is advisable to check before your visit.
Historic buildings and Heremastate Park
The Jouster Toer dates from 1628 and once housed a council chamber and a prison. The former church tower of Westermeer now stands in Joure’s cemetery. It is registered as a Rijksmonument and is a brick tower probably dating from the 16th century. A guided walk, the Jouster Kuierke, takes you past old façades, narrow streets and historic buildings. It also offers an opportunity to visit the historic courtroom in the Jouster Toer. As the walk is scheduled seasonally, check the current dates in advance.
Heremastate Park, the freely accessible park around Herema State, offers another way to explore Joure. The English landscape garden, which garden architect Roodbaard helped design, is still recognisable in its original form. The park is home to old pollarded lime trees, beeches and oaks. If you are interested in the history of engineering structures, De Groene Molen offers another tangible point of interest: the polder mill was built around 1800 as a Dutch smock-type drainage mill on a high brick base. The approximate construction date remains an estimate.
Activities and practical visiting information
Puzzelmuseum Joure is devoted to logic puzzles, brainteasers and riddles; visitors can try puzzles themselves. However, you must reserve in advance and arrange an appointment. For activities on the water, SUP Joure offers SUP board hire and supervised lessons with instruction, including sessions with children. The experiences are quite different: here, the focus is on paddling and practising, while at the Puzzelmuseum it is on solving puzzles.
Other leisure attractions described include the subtropical swimming pool Swimfun Joure, with its Wild River water ride that passes waterfalls and caves, and Speelbos Joure. The indoor play centre is for children aged 1 to 12 and also has an escape room for children featuring puzzles and brainteasers. At Jouster Strand Woudfennen, visitors can use the surfboards and numerous play structures free of charge. If you want to include these activities in your visit, you can choose between indoor activities, a water attraction, puzzles and outdoor play, rather than treating all the places as similar stops.
One seasonal event that takes place at a set time each year is the Jouster Merke: the annual fair and funfair are held on the fourth Thursday in September. Check the date for your travel year if you want to plan your stay around it. Depending on your interests, you can discover Joure through its museum and craft history, a walk through historic streets, a visit to the park or individual leisure activities.
Discover more destinations: Oldeouwer, Idskenhuizen, Teroele, Rotsterhaule, Terkaple, Boornzwaag, Rohel, Sintjohannesga
For the main travel overview: Skarsterlân.
