Walfriduskerk

The Walfriduskerk is the medieval church of Bedum, a village in the province of Groningen, in the north of the Netherlands, and it is one of the oldest buildings in the area. It is dedicated to Saint Walfridus, a saint associated with the Groningen countryside, and it dates from the Middle Ages, when the clay landscape north of the city was being settled and a series of fine brick churches was built on the artificial mounds, called terpen or wierden, that protected villages from the sea. Tradition holds that an earlier wooden church stood on the site, later replaced by stone and then by the brick building seen today.

The church is best known for its tower, which leans noticeably, in the manner of a smaller version of the famous tower in Pisa. The lean is caused by the soft clay ground on which the tower stands, which has slowly settled under the weight of the masonry, and it has made Bedum a minor attraction for visitors passing through the province. The effect is easy to see from the village streets, and the tower is a popular subject for photographs. Such leans are not unusual in Groningen, where many church towers sit on weak ground, but this one is among the best known.

Groningen has hundreds of medieval churches, and they form one of the richest church landscapes in Europe. Many date from the twelfth and thirteenth centuries and combine Romanesque and early Gothic features, with plain brick walls, small windows, stepped gables and towers that rise above the flat fields. Inside, the churches are often simple, whitewashed since the Reformation, with wooden pews, a pulpit and sometimes a fine organ, and many contain painted vaults, memorial stones and old graves. Visitors should treat these buildings as places of worship, and access is often limited to services, events or open days.

The church still serves the community, and it is used for services and local gatherings. Visitors interested in history and architecture can see the outside at any time, and may be able to go in during the summer or by arrangement, so it is worth checking locally. The village of Bedum is small and quiet, with a few cafes and shops, and it makes an easy stop on a day of cycling through the Groningen countryside, where flat roads link villages, farms and churches.

The church suits architecture lovers, photographers and cyclists, as well as anyone interested in the medieval history of the north. A short visit of half an hour is enough, and it combines well with a ride to other village churches in the area.