Kale Joncker Path

During a walk through the area, a “jonker” takes you on a journey through his life. The jonkers in Groningen were large landowners. Their social status differed from that of the noble families in other parts of our country. They did not derive their title from a grant by a monarch but solely from their landholdings and the rights associated with them. The jonkers also held the right, as collators, to appoint the pastor, sexton, schoolteacher, and organist. As the sole collator, the jonker wielded considerable influence because he managed the administration of church property. The village church was his church; renovations, repairs, and embellishments depended on his whims. The jonker had his own pew, coat of arms, and burial vault there.