Tjuchem is a tiny village in the Groningen countryside, east of the city of Groningen. Its main claim to fame is a nine-metre-high Lenin Statue, brought here from eastern Germany after reunification. The statue stands in a private garden, visible from the road, and feels wonderfully incongruous in the flat Dutch farmland. This part of Groningen has had left-wing sympathies for generations — the peat workers and farm labourers of the region were among the earliest supporters of communism in the Netherlands.
Beyond the Lenin statue, Tjuchem is a one-street farming hamlet with a medieval Hervormde Kapel and not much else. It makes for an odd but memorable stop if you are cycling through the Groningen countryside, which is flat, open, and surprisingly beautiful in its austerity.