Rent a Home in Leeuwarden City Centre
The capital of Friesland, with a leaning tower that was never finished, canals encircling the city, and a cultural-historical centre that was European Capital of Culture in 2018.
Leeuwarden has approximately 95,900 inhabitants (2023) and is the capital of Friesland. The city centre is compact, historic, and crisscrossed by canals. The Oldehove, a leaning tower started in 1435 and never completed because its foundation settled, is its most recognisable structure. De Waag, a seventeenth-century weigh-house now used as a café, stands in the heart of the centre. In 2018, Leeuwarden, together with Valletta, was the European Capital of Culture. Mata Hari was born here in 1876. M.C. Escher in 1898. Leeuwarden is a city with more history per square metre than its population suggests.
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Oldehove, Waag, and the Fries Museum
The Oldehove is located on the west side of the city centre. A medieval church tower that tilted during construction and never reached its planned height. It still stands there, leaning more than the Tower of Pisa, as a monument to ambition and adversity. The area around the Oldehove is one of the quietest spots in the centre.
The Fries Museum on Wilhelminaplein is the regional museum of Friesland. The building reopened in 2013 after a major renovation. The collection ranges from Frisian silver and paintings to Mata Hari's personal belongings. Next to the Fries Museum is the Princessehof, the National Museum of Ceramics.
The centre has canals that in some places resemble a small version of Groningen. The Ee and the Dokkumer Ee run along the edge of the city centre. The quays have been renovated in recent years and offer a quieter atmosphere than the shopping streets behind them.
Friesland and its two languages
Leeuwarden is officially bilingual: Dutch and Frisian. This is visible on street names, official signs, and in daily life. The city has its own cultural identity that differs from the Randstad: more down-to-earth, less hurried, strongly connected to the surrounding Frisian countryside. For tenants coming from the Randstad, this takes some getting used to but is also the reason they choose Leeuwarden.
NHL Stenden University of Applied Sciences and Van Hall Larenstein University have branches in the city. This attracts students from all over the Netherlands and adds a young layer to the historic city centre.
What you can rent
The supply in Leeuwarden's city centre consists predominantly of apartments in historic buildings and in newer complexes that have been added along the canals in recent decades. The historic buildings are modest in scale compared to the Randstad canal houses but share the same character: high ceilings, steep stairs, compact layouts.
Leeuwarden is more affordable than most comparable historic cities in the Randstad. Those looking for an apartment in a historic city centre but unwilling to pay what Amsterdam, Leiden, or Haarlem demand, should consider Leeuwarden.
Apartments Price Breakdown in Leeuwarden
| Bedrooms | Average | Median | Price Range | Available |
|---|---|---|---|---|
0 | €834 | €825 | €678 - €1,100 | 1 |
1 | €975 | €939 | €520 - €1,500 | 4 |
2 | €1,114 | €1,100 | €810 - €1,595 | 3 |
3 | €1,085 | €1,108 | €932 - €1,170 | 0 / 6 |
Accessibility
Leeuwarden Station is a ten-minute walk from the Oldehove. Intercity trains run to Zwolle (70 minutes), Groningen (35 minutes), and southwards via Sneek. The A31 connects Leeuwarden with the rest of Friesland and, via the Afsluitdijk, with North Holland. Amsterdam is about two hours by car. For daily commuters, Leeuwarden is not a commuter city. The city attracts residents who choose it, not as an overflow area.
Oldehove: The Leaning Tower of Leeuwarden
Started in 1435, never completed. The foundation settled during construction, the tower was stopped and has been leaning ever since. It is 40 metres high and leans further than the Tower of Pisa. The most unexpected monument in the Netherlands.
European Capital of Culture 2018
Leeuwarden-Fryslân was European Capital of Culture in 2018, together with Valletta. The run-up to that year transformed the city: new cultural infrastructure, renovated museums, redesigned public spaces. The legacy is still visible.
Mata Hari and Escher
Margaretha Zelle, better known as Mata Hari, was born in Leeuwarden in 1876. M.C. Escher in 1898. Two internationally renowned names that originated in the same Frisian capital.
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