Leek, Netherlands

The Shell Grotto Nienoord (Dutch: Schelpengrot) is a shell grotto built around the year 1700 at the behest of Anna van Ewsum, in a cupola in the southern gardens of the former borg on the Nienoord estate in Leek, in the northeastern Netherlands. The grotto was originally built as a treasury for the jonkheers of Nienoord. All that is known about the reason for covering the cupola's interior in shells, comes from a folk tale. A girl from the village of Leek was working at the castle. She was very curious about the castle's treasury. So one day, when the jonkheer and his wife were on a trip, she asked the jonkheer's daughter whether she could take a look at the treasury. Persuaded, the daughter opened the treasury to the girl. She found it lovely and danced through the room. Quickly, her master's daughter had had enough of waiting and walked off, closing the treasury's door behind her. She forgot about the girl, leaving her locked up. When the jonkheer returned home, he discovered the girl, and punished her by locking her up indefinitely in the treasury. She would only be released once she had covered all the walls in shells. For decades, the girl toiled on, piecing together the mosaic. After she had finished her work, she was let out. Happy to be free once more, she ran towards the village, where, at her arrival, she looked at herself in the clear water. She was so shocked by the sight of her old, haggard face, that she collapsed never to get up again. This is not the only shell grotto in the Netherlands. Others can be found on the Rosendael Caste estate (Rozendaal, Gelderland, built in 1722) and in Het Loo Palace (Apeldoorn, Gelderland).

Nietap is a village in the Netherlands and is part of the Noordenveld municipality in Drenthe.

Terheijl is a hamlet in the Netherlands and is part of the Noordenveld municipality in Drenthe. Terheijl is not a statistical entity, and the postal authorities have placed it under Nietap. It has place name signs, but is outside the build-up area. It was first mentioned in 1325 as "Hermannes de Helle" which means "the hollow of Herman".The Aduard Abbey operated a farm near Terheijl since the Middle Ages. In 1594, it became property of the Province of Groningen. In 1626, it was sold to Caspar van Ewsum, the landdrost of Drenthe who turned it into an estate. The last noble owner was Baron van Westerholt who died in 1852. In 1853, it was sold and the estate was demolished to construct a large farm.

Tolbert is a town in the Dutch province of Groningen. It is part of the municipality of Westerkwartier and forms a single urban area with Leek.

Lettelbert (Dutch pronunciation: [ˈlɛ.təlˌbɛrt]; Gronings: Lepterd) is a village in the municipality of Westerkwartier in the province of Groningen in the Netherlands. As of 2021, it had a population of 150. Agriculture and livestock are the main sources of income. Lettelbert means 'small neighborhood' (kleine buurt), near Lettelbert are also 'old neighborhood' (oude buurt) and 'new neighborhood' (nieuwe buurt), namely the villages of Tolbert and Niebert. The village arose in the Middle Ages on a sand ridge in the Westerkwartier near the Lettelberterdiep. The Reformed church of Lettelbert is owned by the Stichting Oude Groninger Kerken. The single-aisled church was built in the thirteenth century and has a five-sided closed choir and a roof turret. Lettelbert has a small marina on the Leekstermeer and a natural camping site. Near the village are the Lettelberterpetten, a peat area that was extracted between 1900 and 1920 and became overgrown with alder woods and has been a nature reserve of Het Groninger Landschap since 1961.

Midwolde (Dutch pronunciation: [mɪdˈʋɔl.də]; Gronings: Midwolle) is a village in the municipality of Westerkwartier in the province of Groningen in the Netherlands. As of 2021, it had a population of 185. It is located just to the northeast of Leek. Midwolde is known for its church, the oldest part of which (the nave) dates from the 12th century. The church is located north of the Nienoord estate and therefore had close relations with it in the past. In the church is the tomb of Carel Hieronymus von Inn- und Kniphausen (1631-1664), a major work by Rombout Verhulst and Bartholomeus Eggers. A stained glass window recalls the accident in 1907 in which the Van Panhuys family drowned in the Hoendiep. The name means: forest (wold) in the middle (mid-). The name is very similar to that of Midwolda, which is located in the east of the province of Groningen in the municipality of Oldambt and which is much larger.

Nieuw-Roden is a village in the Netherlands and is part of the Noordenveld municipality in Drenthe. During the 19th century, peat to the west of Roden was excavated, and a new settlement appeared. Originally, it contained sod houses which were replaced in the early 20th century. In the 1960s, Huizing built his own sod house, and opened it for visitors in 1965. In the 1990s, it was demolished, due to vandalism. In 1903, a school was built and the church dates from 1922. Nowadays it is a single urban area with Roden but remains a separate village.

Zevenhuizen (Dutch pronunciation: [ˈzeː.və(n)ˌɦœy̯.zə(n)]; Gronings: Zeuvenhuzen, Zeuv'nhoezen, or Seubnhuuzen) is a village in the municipality of Westerkwartier in the province of Groningen in the Netherlands. As of 2021, it had a population of 2,725.

Niebert (Dutch pronunciation: [ˈni.bɛrt]; Gronings: Nijbert) is a village in the municipality of Westerkwartier in the province of Groningen in the Netherlands. As of 2021, it had a population of 745.

Roden (Dutch pronunciation: [ˈroːdən] (listen)) is a town in the Dutch province of Drenthe. It is located in the municipality of Noordenveld, about 16 km (10 miles) southwest of Groningen.

Enumatil (Dutch pronunciation: [ˈeː.ny.maː.tɪl]; Gronings: Aimtil or IJmentil) is a village in the municipality of Westerkwartier in the province of Groningen in the Netherlands. As of 2021, it had a population of 335. It is located to the south of Briltil and to the west of Den Horn.

Noordenveld (Dutch pronunciation: [ˈnoːrdə(ɱ)vɛlt] (listen)) is a municipality in the northeastern part of the Netherlands.