Maria Church
The Maria Church of Bears is a wonderful unit with the reconstruction of Uniastate. The church is quite somber from the outside, but has a rich interior inside. The church and Uniastate are very popular with bridal couples and day trippers.
About this building
On the western edge of the village, right next to the twentieth-century reconstruction of Uniastate, the thirteenth-century church is not to be missed by the train passenger between Leeuwarden and Sneek. The choir is from the fourteenth century and the tower and the west work date from 1858. The most original masonry is visible on the north side. There is a special separate stone above the entrance in the outer wall with a somewhat angry looking man's head, and the bells are from 1569. The church of Bears and Uniastate used to form a unit. After the demolition of the state, the gatehouse remained. Visual artist Beb Mulder has made a 'mirage' of the contours of the old state that stands out from afar. Many couples are allowed to photograph here and others like to climb the stairs in the tower upstairs! A video and some ingenious exhibition cabinets inform you about life on the stinzen and states around Leeuwarden. A bicycle route, available in the church, leads you past existing noble houses in the surroundings of Leeuwarden, such as Dekemastate in Jelsum and the Poptaslot in Marssum.
