Oldehove (tower)

Oldehove
The Oldehove in 2014 The Oldehove in 2014
Specifications
Materials	Brick

File:19-08-07 leeuwarden.jpg

Leeuwarden: Oldehove

De Oldehove is an unfinished church tower in the medieval centre of the Dutch city of Leeuwarden. It leans more than the tower of Pisa in Italy.

Oldehove is also the name of an artificial mound ("terp" in Dutch) ("wert" or "wierd" in Frisian) on which in the late 9th century a (Catholic) church dedicated to Saint Vitus was built. Construction of the adjoining Late Gothic tower began in 1529, after the citizens of Leeuwarden demanded a tower taller than the one in the city of Groningen, the Martinitoren. In charge were Jacob van Aken (or Aaken) and, after his death, Cornelis Frederiksz.

During construction, the tower began to sag, which the builders tried to compensate for by inserting several "kinks", but the project was stopped in 1532 (1533 according to another source). In 1595–1596, the then derelict church was demolished, but the tower remains. It consists mostly of brick, but the builders also used so-called Bentheim sandstone. It is listed as a Rijksmonument, number 24331.

Sources

• Stenvert, R. et al. (2000). Monumenten in Nederland: Fryslân, p. 25, 41 and 189–196. Waanders Uitgevers, Zwolle, the Netherlands. ISBN 90-400-9476-4.