PRESS RELEASE
With the ‘Punt Piaam’ project, the beautiful terp village of Piaam will once again become a real destination for anyone who wants to connect with this special cultural heritage, the landscape, nature and the vision of biodiversity and sustainability. Punt Piaam focuses on passers-by (cyclists and walkers) and visitors who come purposefully to an activity in the national monumental farm Nynke’s Pleats. A rest area will be set up for cyclists, where they can obtain information about the special cultural landscape, the flora and fauna, the mound and the monumental church. The terp meadow will be restored as a central point in the village. There will also be sanitary facilities, picnic benches and a charging point for bicycles. The project is part of the restoration and repurposing of Nynke’s Pleats, which is not covered by the subsidy. The total redevelopment is made possible in part by the Farm Fund and the Province of Fryslân.
Background
The terp village of Piaam is located just behind the old sea dike, about two kilometers south of Makkum. It has a protected village view and about 35 people live there. The 13th-century Gothic single-aisled church is centrally located. It is a national monument, as are the two adjacent 17th-century farms, now known as Nynke’s Pleats and Piaam State. Piaam is located next to the Makkummerzuidwaard, a protected bird area and in the middle of a resting area for geese.
In the 1960s there were far-reaching plans to turn Piaam into a museum village. A foundation was set up (Stichting Piaam) and ambitious plans were made. The conversion of Nynke Postma’s farm into a restaurant was an important part of this. Nynke (1902-1980) was the last farmer of the Pleats. She is buried next to the church, opposite the farm. The farm was in very bad condition and the barn had even partially collapsed. The national monument therefore urgently needed to be tackled to prevent permanent loss. The first restoration took place in 1972, in which many of the original parts have been retained.
Piaam, with the vibrant heart of the restaurant (then still called De Nynke Pleats), has been part of the Ald Faers Erfroute and the Zuiderzeeroute for many years. The restaurant was also a regular stop for tourists who visited the Tichelaar ceramics factory and was a popular place for weddings of people from the area. Due to changing circumstances (both internally and externally), the restaurant ultimately did not make it and closed its doors in 2018. Yet there are still many cyclists and hikers who visit Piaam, looking for a place to rest, to view the church and to learn more about the wonderful terp village and the beautiful landscape around it. They now remain somewhat orphaned, at a point in the middle of the dead-end village, with nowhere to go. This will change with the redevelopment of Nynke’s Pleats and ‘Punt Piaam’.