Germany (Lonely Planet, 6th Edition) - Andrea Schulte-Peevers [578]
JEVER
04461 / pop 13,900
Famous for its pilsner beer, the capital of the Friesland region also has a secondary motif. The face of ‘Fräulein Maria’ peers out from attractions and shop windows alike. She was the last of the so-called Häuptlinge (chieftains) to rule the town in the Middle Ages, and although Russia’s Catherine the Great got her hands on Jever for a time in the 18th century, locals always preferred their home-grown queen. Having died unmarried and a virgin, Maria is the German equivalent of England’s (in truth more worldly) Elizabeth I.
With its Russian-looking castle, Jever is worth a brief visit, probably en route to the East Frisian Islands.
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Orientation
Most of Jever’s attractions are within a few hundred metres of each other in the eastern section of the Altstadt around the Schloss. There are map boards at the small train station. Follow the signs to the centre along Schlosserstrasse to the beginning of the pedestrianised streets. Continue along the cobbled streets until you come across yet more signposts, or ask for Alter Markt.
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Information
Tourist Information Jever ( 710 10; www.stadt-jever.de; Alter Markt 18; 9am-6pm Mon-Fri, 9am-1pm Sat Apr-Oct, 9am-5pm Mon-Fri Nov-Mar)
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Sights
SCHLOSS
Looking like a prop from the film Doctor Zhivago, the onion-shaped dome is literally the crowning feature of Jever’s 14th-century Schloss ( 969 350; www.schlossmuseum.de; adult/concession €3.50/1.80; 10am-6pm Tue-Sun year-round, 10am-6pm Mon Jul & Aug). The town’s 18th-century Russian rulers added it to a building built by Fräulein Maria’s grandfather, chieftain Edo Wiemken the Elder. Today the palace houses the Kulturhistorische Museum des Jeverlandes, a mildly diverting cultural-history museum with objects chronicling the daily life and craft of the Frieslanders, including a vast porcelain collection.
The pièce de résistance is the magnificent audience hall, with a carved, coffered, oak ceiling of great intricacy. Fräulein Maria retained the Antwerp sculptor Cornelis Floris to create this 80-sq-metre Renaissance masterpiece.
FRIESISCHES BRAUHAUS ZU JEVER
A brewery that has been producing dry pilsner since 1848 is worth a visit, and the Friesisches Brauhaus ( 137 11; www.jever.de, in German; Elisabeth-ufer 18; tours adult/child €7/2.50; frequent tours 9am-6pm Mon-Fri, 9am-2pm Sat) allows visitors a peek behind the scenes. Two-hour weekday tours travel through the production and bottling facilities, as well as a small museum, whereas 1½-hour Saturday tours only include the museum. Reservations are essential.
OTHER ATTRACTIONS
Many of Jever’s sights are in some way connected to Fräulein Maria. The most spectacular is in the Stadtkirche ( 933 80; Am Kirchplatz 13; 8am-6pm), where you’ll find the lavish memorial tomb of her father, Edo Wiemken (1468–1511). The tomb is another opus by Cornelis Floris and miraculously survived eight fires. The church itself succumbed to the flames and was rebuilt in a rather modern way; the main nave is opposite the tomb, which is now behind glass.
Near the tourist office, you’ll see a statue of Fräulein Maria. Her image also joins that of her father and other historic figures in the town’s Glockenspiel ( carillon 11am, noon, 3pm, 4pm, 5pm & 6pm), opposite the tourist office on the facade of the Hof von Oldenburg.
An interesting Frisian craft is on show at the Blaudruckerei shop ( 713 88; www.blaudruckerei.de, in German; Kattrepel 3; 10am-1pm & 2-6pm Mon-Fri, 10am-2pm Sat). This is owned by former teacher Georg Stark, who 20 years ago revived the long-lost art and tradition of Blaudruckerei, a printing and dying process whose results vaguely resemble batik.
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Sleeping & Eating
DJH hostel ( 909 202; www.jugendherberge.de/jh/jever; Dr-Fritz-Blume-Weg 4; dm under/over 27yr €22/25; closed Dec-Feb; ) Jever’s cute Jugendherberge is like a little village, with a series of green and red-brick bungalows grouped around the reception. Dorms are as clean,