Jannum brings together a Romanesque-Gothic building and an open historic cultural landscape. The church stands on a terp; around it, terpen and lower-lying ditches shape the terrain. The Kerkmuseum, walking routes and Jannumer cheese bring together architectural history, landscape and other travel interests. A route description accessed in August 2026 lists Jannum as a protected village scene. For your planning, you can choose between two numbered walks with specific distances and walking times, as well as a stage of the Klooster Claercamppad.
Church, museum and local history
The church in Jannum is a Romanesque-Gothic hall church on a terp. Romanesque-Gothic describes a combination of Romanesque and Gothic design; a hall church has a single main interior space. The Kerkmuseum Jannum has been housed in the church since 1947, and the building is no longer used as a church. A route description accessed in August 2026 lists Jannum as a protected village scene. Jannum is a terp village with a long history. Its designation as a protected village scene broadens the focus from the individual church to the village as a whole.
Several historical perspectives thus come together in one place: the church’s architectural style, the building’s history of use, the protection of the village scene and the early origins of the terp village. Those interested in local history can consider these aspects together rather than focusing solely on the church building.
Terpen and open cultural landscape
The area around Jannum lies in the clay region on the north-west side of the Ee in Noardeast-Fryslân. It is an open, expansive historic cultural landscape whose terrain is shaped by terpen and lower-lying ditches. Jannum is one of the Flieterpen: artificial refuge mounds built up from waste, where people sought shelter in earlier, wetter times. The landscape description thus connects the features that shape it today with the former function of the elevated sites as places of refuge.
Walks of different lengths
Historic walking route 44 Hegebeintum–Jannum starts in Jannum at the Kerkmuseum. It is 6 km long and takes about 1 hour and 15 minutes. Walking route 43 Waaxens–Jannum covers 7 km and takes about 1.5 hours. Route 44 is therefore the shorter of the two numbered walks and starts at the Kerkmuseum; Route 43 is longer and runs along the Holwerder Vaart to Holwerdertille Bridge.
Holwerdertille Bridge is near the Dokkumer Ee and about 1 km from Jannum. In addition to its length, Route 43 also offers named landmarks along the way. You can compare the two walks using their distances and approximate walking times; this does not indicate their level of difficulty.
Another walking stage leads to Jannum: the fourth stage of the Klooster Claercamppad follows a gently rising clinker path into the village. This provides an alternative to the two numbered routes, with their stated distances and times, in the form of a stage description that specifies the surface and ascent.
Jannumer cheese and farm shop
The milk from Van Fûgelsang’s own Jersey cows is the basis for Jannumer cheese. The Van Fûgelsang farm shop sells Jannumer cheese, ice cream and “honest meat,” among other things. The product selection may change, so check the current range before planning a visit.
If you are looking for a holiday rental for your trip to Jannum, the topics described here can help structure your plans: local history, a walk with a stated distance and walking time, or the culinary connection with Jannumer cheese. The specific differences between the routes can help you factor your preferred walking time into your plans.
Discover more destinations: Ferwerd, Hogebeintum, Burdaard, Blija, Marrum, Reitsum.
Back to the overarching travel overview: Ferwerderadiel.
