Bellingwolde is a dispersed village with medieval origins. The original village centre lies in the north, near the Magnuskerk and the Rechthuis. These two landmarks connect getting your bearings in the village with its history: the church reflects 16th-century architectural history and later furnishings, while the Rechthuis brings together several historical periods. When planning your visit, you can treat village history and walks as separate points of interest.
Church, Rechthuis and village history
The Magnuskerk in Bellingwolde is a Late Gothic church. An earlier church was badly damaged by the Dollard flood of 1509; the Magnuskerk was built in 1527. The architecture includes several rib vaults. Its furnishings include a pulpit with a back panel and sounding board dating from 1660. The year of construction and the pulpit furnishings therefore mark different historical periods. Rib vaults divide the ceiling with their intersecting ribs.
Het Rechthuis is now a private residence and cannot be visited. Its front façade is designed in the 18th-century style, while the rear façade is in the 17th-century style. According to the wall anchors on the front façade, the building was constructed in 1643. The core is probably even older; a courthouse may already have stood there in 1456. Bellingwolde is also a protected village landscape where history and culture come together.
Walks and longer hikes
Route 8: De Lethe Bellingwolde is 8.3 kilometres long and runs through and around Bellingwolde, passing the old defensive work Redoute. Route 37: Veendiep, Bellingwolde–Vriescheloo, is 11 kilometres long and follows the Veendiep between the two villages. Route 8 is therefore 2.7 kilometres shorter; Route 37 offers the longer walk.
A longer hiking option is the Noaberpad stage from Bad Nieuweschans to Bellingwolde. It is 22.1 kilometres long, takes 5.5 hours and passes through the De Lethe nature area. This takes considerably longer than the two walks. If you plan to do this stage, check the current route before setting out, as trail conditions and routes can change.
De Lethe is a small walking area with tree-lined paths, meadows, ditches and various animal species. Two defensive works were built in the area in 1797 and connected by a dike. The Veendiep nature area includes, in addition to the canal, lakes formed by sand extraction for road construction, as well as a nearby woodland. De Lethe thus brings landscape and military history together, while the landscape described at Veendiep is shaped by the canal, lakes and woodland.
Getting there
The Bellingwolde, Reiderlandstraat bus stop is also served by public transport. If you plan to use it to get there, check the current timetable before travelling.
Discover more destinations: Vriescheloo, Wedde, Oudeschans.
Go to the main travel overview: Bellingwedde.
