Tzummarum (Tsjummearum)

Tzummarum is a beautiful village located in an agricultural area, just a stone’s throw from the Wadden Sea UNESCO World Heritage Site in the northwest of Fryslân.

Tzummarum is an active and lively village where conviviality and entertainment are at the heart of village life. The village offers a wide range of amenities, including restaurants and cafés, various shops and the De Friese Wadden holiday park.

Several activities are organised every year by the various local associations, including the village festival, a livestock market with a street market, theatre performances and various sporting events.

Tzummarum was founded on the salt marsh ridge that runs from Sexbierum to Minnertsga. The village is thought to have originated around the eighth century, when a terp was constructed on this salt marsh ridge. The first inhabitants settled here because the higher-lying areas around Tzummarum had fertile sandy-clay soils that were easy to cultivate. For centuries, the farmland north of Tzummarum was mainly used for agriculture, while the low-lying land south of the village often served as hay meadows. In addition to agriculture, fishing was also an important source of income in Tzummarum for a long time. The Vissersvaart canal from the Sea Dike to Tzummarum was specifically dug to transport the catch to customers. A monument to a herring fisherman stands at Koehool.

Tzummarum railway station was a station on the NFLS railway line from Stiens to Harlingen. The station was also the starting point of the NFLS line to Franeker. Its abbreviated name was Tzum. The station opened on 2 December 1902 and closed on 1 December 1940. At the beginning of the new millennium, however, European subsidies became available for the restoration of industrial heritage. The outbuildings were also restored. One of these is the former station toilet building. The former toilet building now houses a permanent exhibition by the Barradeel Historical Society, including a scale model of the station and a video presentation providing an overview of the station’s history.