Fries Museum

Friesland’s precious treasures

The museum’s collection tells the stories of Friesland and its people, with objects ranging from rare archeological finds to modern art, from Mata Hari’s personal scrapbooks to beautiful paintings by Sir Lawrence Alma-Tadema and Gerrit Benner. Benner’s landscapes especially resonates with the heart and soul of Friesland. Characterised by low horizons that seem to stretch to infinity, his paintings evoke a melancholy view of the region and its people “who can live in isolation, who can take care of themselves, and who allow the rest of the world with its hustle and bustle to glide by silently, like a train on a distant horizon. People from the far north have made friends with the water, with the sea and the falling rain.”

Modern architecture

Even the new, modern building is true to its roots. The bold open-plan building was designed by Hubert-Jan Henket of Bierman Henket Architects bureau, saying that it has a “strong identity, firmly rooted in the ground and has no unnecessary embellishments – typically Frisian in every sense.” The building includes a giant protruding roof elevated 25 metres from the ground on steel and wooden columns and an imposing glass facade. 

After taking in impressive Frisian art and culture, go out and experience what inspired these artists in the first place - the true beauty of the vast Frisian countryside, its seemingly never-ending horizons, and the peace and solace that nature brings.