Perseverance and meaningfulness were the decisive arguments of the jury for designating Nijkleaster - Klooster Westerhûs in Hilaard (near Jowert) as one of the two winners of the Pieter van Vollenhoven Prize. On Wednesday, September 24, Professor mr. Pieter van Vollenhoven personally presented the prize to Sietske Visser, initiator and resident, and Henk Kroes, involved from the first hour and building pastor of this beautiful redevelopment project.

No plan, no place, no money, just a dream

'A new monastery near Jorwert. A stopping place for pilgrims on the road. A refuge for guests of many kinds. A place of silence, reflection and connection. Next to the church in Jorwert a monastery building, where monastics can live, work and receive guests."
That was the dream with which the initiators started in 2010. There was nothing else: no plan, no place, no money. No one could have imagined then that 12 years later in this very special place, this beautiful building, this house of silence would actually be there.

Not without a fight

Stichting Nijkleaster-Westerhûs purchased the ^17th-century, very dilapidated head-neck-hull farmhouse and repurposed it into a new Protestant monastery where "silence, contemplation and connection" is offered to people from a demanding and hectic society. This did not go without a hitch. There were major setbacks, both during the preparation and execution, which caused the responsible administrators some sleepless nights. But the close-knit core always maintained faith in a good outcome, with the present result as a result. 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 fitting it into the valuable historic environment and its location in the landscape.

Preserve characteristic landscape

Mr. Van Vollenhoven: "The preservation of our agricultural heritage is of great importance. The identity of our characteristic landscape is preserved by giving a new purpose to vacant agricultural farms. The fact that with the arrival of Nijkleaster - Klooster Westerhûse a beautiful place of reflection has been created makes it extra special. It is fantastic to see how these people have managed to create this beautiful place with so much passion. My compliments, the award is more than due to them!"

Below is a selection of the photos. The complete photo reportage can be found here.

See also Nijkleaster in the press