Nijkleaster - Klooster Westerhûs wins Pieter van Vollenhoven prize for successful redevelopment.
Perseverance, courage and reflection were the jury's decisive arguments for designating Nijkleaster - Klooster Westerhûs in Hilaard (near Jorwert) as the winner of the Pieter van Vollenhoven Prize 2024. On September 24, 2025, former chairman of the Nationaal Restauratiefonds Prof. mr. Pieter van Vollenhoven will personally present the prize to the initiators.
The winner (from the National Restoration Fund press release)
Nijkleaster - Klooster Westerhûs
Stichting Nijkleaster-Westerhûs receives the award for the preservation and restoration of the very dilapidated, bulky farmhouse It Westerhûs in Hilaard, Friesland. The foundation has purchased this 17th-century agricultural heritage and redeveloped it into a new Protestant monastery where "silence, contemplation and connection" is offered to people from a demanding and hectic society. The farm is located in the open Frisian clay meadow area and can be seen from miles away. Much attention has therefore been given to preserving the character of the property, but especially to its integration into the valuable historic environment and its location in the landscape. Mr. Van Vollenhoven endorses the importance of preserving our agricultural heritage. By giving a new interpretation to vacant agricultural farms, the identity of our characteristic landscape is preserved. That with the arrival of Nijkleaster - Klooster Westerhûs a beautiful place of reflection has been created, makes it extra special.
Read more about the Pieter van Vollenhoven Prize at: www.restauratiefonds.nl/pieter-van-vollenhovenprijs
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