The Verhildersum borg dates from the 14th century. It was destroyed in both 1400 and 1514 by the inhabitants of the city Groningen. However, in between these two battles no mention of the borg is made in official records. In a document mention is made of the reconstruction of the borg after 1514 for the sum of 1200 gold pieces, excluding some exterior buildings.
After the death of the inhabitant Aepke Onsta in 1564, Ecke Claessen is mentioned as the inhabitant of the borg in 1576. Complaints by him are made with regard to troubles caused by billeted soldiers with their two wives and a child, who reside at the borg due to the Eighty Years' War.
Around the borg lies the Verhildersum Estate of 32 hectares. In the borg gardens are a carriage house, a farmhouse, and a garden shed. The schathuis was built originally built in 1833 on the estate of Saaksumborg, a borg which is now demolished. The schathuis used to be a farmhouse and derives its name from the old Frysian word skat, which means cattle. In 1972, the schathuis was moved to the Verhildersum Estate.
The late 19th-century garden shed is the former 'tramhouse' of the Emmaplein in Haren, Groningen. The borg garden is laid out according to the golden ratio with characteristics from the Renaissance and the Baroque. The garden is also home to a herb garden, more than ninety types of roses and fifty types of Clematis. The garden is surrounded by moats.
References:The Jan Hus Memorial stands at one end of Old Town Square. The huge monument depicts victorious Hussite warriors and Protestants who were forced into exile 200 years after Hus, and a young mother who symbolises national rebirth. The monument was so large that the sculptor designed and built his own villa and studio where the work could be carried out. It was unveiled in 1915 to commemorate the 500th anniversary of Jan Hus' martyrdom. The memorial was designed by Ladislav Šaloun and paid for solely by public donations.
Born in 1369, Hus became an influential religious thinker, philosopher, and reformer in Prague. He was a key predecessor to the Protestant movement of the sixteenth century. In his works he criticized religious moral decay of the Catholic Church. Accordingly, the Czech patriot Hus believed that mass should be given in the vernacular, or local language, rather than in Latin. He was inspired by the teachings of John Wycliffe.