Molenaarsgraaf: Village Church, Waterways and History

The differing heights and widths of the building sections shape the layout of the church interior, as does the five-sided end of the chancel. This gives the building form several clearly distinguishable parts.

Culture and History

Hazendonk is a donk. Hazendonk contains traces of settlement dating from the Late Stone Age. The Middelmolen stands at Graafdijk-West 57. It is located in Molenaarsgraaf.

The Kerkmolen was restored. The brickwork pointing was repaired during this restoration.

The mills and Hazendonk connect different traces of the village’s history: a specific mill site, a restored mill and a settlement site from the Late Stone Age stand side by side here.

Farmhouses and Water Levels

A 17th-century farmhouse stands at Graafdijk-West 27–28. The farmhouse has a straight gable. Its design includes a section with a basement on the left. Above this section is a gabled roof with a gable, running parallel to the road.

An 18th-century farmhouse stands at Graafdijk-West 10–11. It has a thatched roof. Its tall front façade features brickwork ornamentation. The windows have small panes. Three stones on this farmhouse mark earlier high water levels.

At Graafdijk West 11, three gevelstenen mark water levels from earlier floods. At Graafdijk West 28, two further gevelstenen mark water levels from earlier floods. The earlier floods afflicted the Alblasserwaard.

The straight gable, section with a basement, thatched roof and small panes make the two farmhouses distinctive examples of architectural heritage. The gevelstenen add concrete reminders of earlier high water levels and floods in the Alblasserwaard to these houses.

Water and Landscape

Route 5, “De Graafstroom”, passes through Molenaarsgraaf. There is a canoe landing stage on each side of the weir there. This route is 10 km long. It connects to Route 5a.

The ten kilometres give the route a clearly defined length. At the same time, the connection to Route 5a is one of the recorded features of “De Graafstroom”, while the canoe landing stages at the weir indicate the route’s connection with the water.

The stoepen along the Graafstroom are characteristic elements of Molenaarsgraaf. There is a stork’s nest on the church in Molenaarsgraaf.

The stork’s nest on the church is another specific detail contributing to the image of Molenaarsgraaf.

Cycle Route and Rest Stop

The Bleskensgraaf-Alblasserwaardroute has an alternative starting point at Graafdijk Oost 2. This starting point is located in Molenaarsgraaf. There is a car park at the starting point, at the corner of Graafdijk Oost and Damseweg near junction 13.

For the cycle route, both the alternative starting point at Graafdijk Oost 2 and its exact location at junction 13 are therefore recorded. The car park is at the stated corner of Graafdijk Oost and Damseweg.

De Zuivelboerderij was one of the nine Rustpunten in Molenlanden.

Other Places

Another place at this level is Goudriaan.

Commemoration and Village Festival

A memorial service for the deceased is held annually in the cemetery of Molenaarsgraaf’s village church. In 2015, the “Rond Om De Graaf” cycle tour returned in a new form as its first edition. It was part of the annual village festival of Molenaarsgraaf and Brandwijk.

The memorial service for the deceased is part of the annual events at the village church cemetery. The “Rond Om De Graaf” cycle tour, by contrast, represents the event that returned in a new form in 2015 as part of the village festival of Molenaarsgraaf and Brandwijk.

To the higher-level travel overview: Graafstroom.