Augustinusga is home to buildings and memorial sites dating back several centuries. The tower of the Sint-Augustinuskerk dates from the 13th century, while the church itself dates from the mid-15th century. Other historic sites include former notary offices and homes, an 18th-century farmhouse, and traces of former country estates. There are also two clearly different ways to get active: a short walking route and a historic cycling route.
Church and architectural history
The Sint-Augustinuskerk is a brick hall church with a rectangular east end. It was built in the mid-15th century behind an older tower, on a raised churchyard. The tower dates back to the 13th century. This means that two distinct building phases can be identified in a single structure: the older tower and the church nave, built later.
The historic interior also has several distinctive features. The pulpit has corner pillars and a front panel bearing coats of arms; the lord’s pew has armorial panels. There are also gravestones belonging to prominent families and an organ dating from 1883. The furnishings thus bring together different forms of church memorial: the pulpit and organ are part of the fittings, while the coats of arms and gravestones refer to families and their history.
De Woudenhof was built in 1915 in the interwar architectural style as a residence and notary’s office. It was commissioned by Notary Harterink and designed by H. A. Pothoven of Amersfoort. At Geawei 1 stands a villa built in 1850 that served as the office and home of Notary Landmeter. Both sites link their period of construction with their former use as a notary’s home and workplace.
At Legeloane 6 stands a small Kop-Romp-type farmhouse dating from the second half of the 18th century. The Timmerschuur at Geawei 20 was fitted out as a wagon-maker’s and cooper’s workshop. These buildings add rural and craft uses to the church’s architectural history, without implying that they all date from the same period.
Local history through mills and memorial sites
East of Augustinusga is the Boktjasker, one of only two examples of this type in Friesland. A monument at Abrahamsplein incorporates a former gable stone bearing the coat of arms of Achtkarspelen. The coat of arms depicts a church with eight towers. A war memorial was unveiled in 1956 at Brêgeloane/Izermieden. Together, these sites offer different ways to explore history: a rare type of mill, a coat-of-arms motif and a memorial to the war.
Stynsger Bosk is a surviving remnant of one of Augustinusga’s former country estates. It adds a trace of the former estates to the buildings of the village. If you include local history in your travel plans, you can distinguish between individual buildings, a monument and a surviving landscape feature, rather than treating the sights as a single historic complex.
Walking and cycling compared
Hiking Route 37 Reaskuorre–Blauforleat is four kilometres long, takes about an hour and runs entirely along paved paths. It starts at junction 56 in Roodeschuur, passes through Augustinusga and ends at junction 95 in Blauwverlaat. Check local conditions before setting out. Blauwverlaat is a hamlet belonging to Augustinusga, with a harbour on the Prinses-Margriet Canal; harbour facilities may vary.
The Noordoost historic cycling route is approximately 32 kilometres long and passes through Augustinusga. It is a circular route, and you can choose your own starting point. Compared with the approximately one-hour walking route, it covers a considerably longer distance and requires a different mode of transport.
Regional context
You can also include Achtkarspelen as a broader point of reference: the municipality lies in De Noardlike Fryske Wâlden, which has National Landscape status. This regional context adds to the picture of Augustinusga’s individual buildings and routes, but does not replace their specific connection to the village.
Discover more destinations: Surhuisterveen, Surhuizum, Twijzelerheide, Gerkesklooster, Buitenpost
Go to the broader travel overview: Achtkarspelen.
