Jaap van 't Veen's photos

Huize Kruisvoorde is a monumental country house. Part of this former ‘havezate’ (manorial farm) dates from the 16th century. The building is also known as Crusefort , Cruystenvoorde or Cruysvoorde . The name probably refers to a voorde , a ford at a crossing of the trade route to Deventer and the dug waterway Terwoldse Wetering . Huize Kruisvoorde was looted in 1572, during the Eighty Years' War. In the 18th century, a front wing was added to the building. A century later, the manor was given a coat of plaster, but this was removed at the beginning of the 20th century. An imposing square tower was then added to the building. Huize Kruisvoorde - like nearby De Parckelaer - became a Dutch heritage site in 1971. Nowadays, the country house is privately owned.

Originally De Parckelaer was a so called havezate (manorial farm). The oldest mention of the house dates from 1434. Just like the nearby Kruisvoorde manor house, the building belonged to the Van Mermuden family. Later, the manor came into the possession of the Van Essen and Van Reede families, important noblemen on the Veluwe. The present building dates from the end of the 17th century or the beginning of the 18th century. In 1843, the building became the property of the commissioner Jacob Roeters van Lennep. Commissioned by his son the building was given a new frontage in 1868. The entrance was also provided with a cast-iron roof with a balcony on the first floor. At the end of the 19th century, the house was empty and fell into disrepair. Fortunately, the Parckelaer's demolition was prevented. In 1990 and the following years, the building was restored. De Parckelaer became a national Dutch heritage site in 1991. The estate is still privately owned and not open to the public.

The Nationaal Park Drents-Friese Wold is one of the largest areas of natural beauty in the Netherlands. The park consists of more than 6,000 hectares of forest, heathland, fens, shifting sands, pools and ponds, swamps and brook valley grasslands. Drents-Friese Wold is located in the border region of the northern Dutch provinces of Drenthe and Friesland. During our visit we were pleasantly surprised by the varied landscape. I can not remember having seen such a diversity of landscapes in one of the twenty national parks in my country. In the year 2000 it became a national park; in addition, the Drents-Friese Wold is one of the most beautiful and important nature areas in Europe and has therefore been designated as a “Nature2000 area”. The park is managed by four organizations and eighty private owners.

The Molen van Rolde is a grist and barley mill. The mill was built in 1873 and replaced a ill on this site, which burnt down a year earlier. The mill has no formal name, taking its name from the town of Rolde. The mill passed through a number of owners and came into the ownership of the Schuiling family in 1892. In 1968 the mill was sold to the municipality of Rolde. The Molen van Rolde - situated on a little man made hill - is a three-storey smock mill on a single-storey brick base. There is no stage, the sails reaching down almost to ground level. The smock and cap are thatched. The mill is winded by a tailpole and winch. The four sails - with a span of 19.10 metres - are carried in a cast-iron windshaft. Over the years the windmill has been restored several times. The mill is still working and has a volunteer miller. The Molen van Rolde is a so called Rijksmonument , a Dutch national heritage site.

Rolde, once the capital of the area known as the Rolderdingspel, had already a wooden church around the year of 900. Around 1200 the first stone church was built: a large Romanesque church with three naves. Most probably the construction of the present Jacobuskerk (James Church) began in the early 15th century and was inaugurated late 1427 or early 1428 and put into use as a roman catholic church. It became a protestant church after the reformation of 1598 (nowadays both protestants and catholics are using the church for their services). The Jacobuskerk has a remarkable high tower (52 meters), which is visible from far away and served in the past as a beacon for travelers to and from the city of Groningen. During the most recent restoration (1961 – ’64), the church was thoroughly reconstructed to its original form and changes from previous renovations were undone. The Jacobuskerk is beautifully located in the centre of Rolde, next to an old cemetery and two interesting dolmens . The church is open for visitors daily during summer season. In Septmeber 2021 we were able to have a look inside. The colourful stained-glass windows in the choir were donated after the last restoration by, among others, the province of Drenthe and were made by the glazier Joep Nicolas. The banister organ is dating back around 1820 and was placed in Rolde in 1847. Early 2013, the last major restoration was completed and the organ has largely regained its original character.

The dolmen-twins D17 and D18 are among the best known dolmens in the Netherlands. These two fairly large dolmens are easily accessible and lie behind the medieval Jacobuskerk in Rolde and on the edge of a cemetery from later times. The two dolmens were constructed between 3400 and 3200 BCE and are attributed to the funnel beaker culture. Hunebed D17 lies beautifully under an old oak tree, but makes a somewhat disorderly impression. It has 8 capstones, only one of which is still in place; the others have partly or completely slipped off their supporting stones. Originally, the dolmen had 18 side stones and 8 capstones; it is almost 14 metres long and 3.8 metres wide. Hunebed D18 looks neat and complete. To achieve this, the dolmen has been restored several times, most recently in 1993. The seven capstones each lie on their supporting stones. To keep it that way, steel pins have been drilled into two of the capstones. The dolmen has a length of over 12.5 metres and a width of 3.5 metres. Dolmen D18 is one of the largest surviving dolmens of the Neetherlands. The dolmen-twins in Rolde have been captured by various painters. Hunebed D17 is one of the most frequently depicted dolmens in the Netherlands and has appeared on paintings, tiles and postcards.

Huis Overcingel is a country house built in 1777 in the French style, commissioned by Johannes van Lier. This ontvanger-generaal (financial official to whom taxes levied in the province of Drenthe were paid) lived in the so-called Ontvangershuis . When that house became too small for his large family, he moved to the new country house. The garden was also laid out in the French style: rectilinear paths and a rectangular pond - a real ‘grand canal’ - with a view of the estate. In 1824 Henricus van Lier, then the owner of the estate, had the garden redesigned in the English landscape style. Landscape architect Roodbaard transformed part of the garden with winding footpaths, flowerbeds, rolling hills and a gazebo. Due to urban expansion, nowadays approximately 5 hectares of the garden remain; a third of the original size. The Overcingel estate remained in the possession of the Van Lier Lels family until 2019. After the death of Henk van Lier Lels, the estate was donated by the family to the foundation Het Drentse Landschap (a foundation that dedicates itself to preserving, protecting and developing nature, landscape and cultural heritage in the Dutch province of Drenthe). The garden can still be visited for a very minimal fee.

The Dutch Reformed Church Sint Nicolaaskerk is located in the centre of the village of Dwingeloo. The brick, gothic, hall church was built around the year of 1410 on the site of an older church from the 12th century with a free standing tower. The church is very similar to other Gothic village churches in the province of Drenthe, consisting of a one-aisled nave with a narrower choir and a tower decorated with niches. The Sint Nicolaaskerk has a remarkable onion-shaped tower, which gives the church its nickname De Siepel (meaning ‘onion’ in the local dialect). After a huge fire in 1923 the original spire was replaced by a slightly less tender copy. It is still the landmark of Dwingeloo and is visible from a great distance.

Blokzijl was mentioned for the first time in 1524 and in 1561 the village became the right as receiver of the toll by Spanish king Philip II of Spain. At the end of the 16th century Blokzijl became more and more an important trading post for peat, which was won in the hinterland and provided a lot of activity. After the Siege of Steenwijk (1580-1581) during the Eighty Years’ War, a fortified lock (in local dialect called zijl or siel ) was built and the town was walled, creating a base for the war fleet and a base for operations for the Dutch troops against the Spaniards. The name Blokzijl - meaning fortified lock - originates from that time. In the 17th century industry developed on and on in the form of breweries shipyards and other craft sectors. For some years Blokzijl even became city rights. The monumental houses with stepped gables date from that time. Blokzijl is a small town with great charm due to the narrow streets, patrician houses, many picturesque corners and its beautiful harbour basin. Until 1973 it was a separate municipality, but nowadays is part of Steenwijkerland.

The Ontvangershuis is one of the oldest private residence in Assen. The house was originally one of the buildings of the Maria in Campis convent. It was possibly used as the priest's house. From the 17th century onwards it was used by the ontvangers-generaal (financial officials in the 17th and 18th centuries, to whom from 1602 taxes levied in the province of Drenthe were paid). In the city fire of 1676 the building was largely destroyed. Johan Sichterman ordered its reconstruction, after which a new building was completed in 1698. From the 18th century onwards, the ontvangers-generaal lived elsewhere in the province. They used the Ontvangershuis as an office and as a guesthouse for high-ranking guests such as stadholders. In 1809, the building was refurbished for the visit of King Lodewijk Napoleon to Assen. Not much later the house came into private hands. In 1853 the house was bought by the municipality of Assen, after which a girls' school was located there until 1888. Finally, the Ontvangershuis was bought by the province of Drenthe in 1955. In the following years, the house was restored and in 1959 it was put into use by the Drents Museum . Today, the house has various period rooms (PiP2) where can take a look at how families lived in previous centuries.

The Brink is the traditional centre of the villages in the province of Drenthe. In Diever this green square offers the Sint-Pancratiuskerk , dedicated to St. Pancratius. Originally this Romanesque church was built in the 12th century. In the 14th and 15th centuries the church gradually got its gothic form. As far as medieval churches in the province of Drenthe are concerned, the reformed church of Diever is very unusual. While in Drenthe one-aisled churches are the rule, this one has three-aisles, evidence that Diever was an important place in this region. In 1759 lightning struck the tower and the vaults of the nave and southern side-aisle collapsed. After that disaster the church was largely renewed. Between 1955 and 1959 the church, which had been in a very bad state for some time, was restored and the situation that had existed before 1759 was reconstructed. The Sint-Pancratiuskerk is considered being one of the most beautiful in Drenthe, this is also due to the authentic interior and the beautiful vaults in the church.

The Waterloopbos - official address in Marknesse, but as a matter of fact located nearby the small village of Kraggenburg - was built in the early 1950s. It offers 35 scale models of major water works from all over the world. Of course the famous Dutch Delta Works were tested here, but also for instance the ports of Rotterdam, Lagos, IJmuiden, Istanbul and Bangkok. Testing and simulating reality by engineers of the Waterloopkundig Laboratorium was done in the 50’s and 60’s of the 20th century. The Waterloopbos is located in the Noordoostpolder, one of the many Dutch polders. As this ‘new’ land lies five metres below sea level, so water could flow naturally to the test setups without needing pumps. With the help of this flowing water plus the creation of weirs, dams and wave machines, the engineers were able to test the influences certain forces would have on their proposed constructions. No more testing has been done here for decades and in many places the models have been reclaimed by nature. The old water ducts, weirs and sluices are now full of plants and shrubs. Parts of the Waterloopbos look like a green jungle, where the forest interacts with the dated technology. One of the models - a gigantic structure of two concrete walls - has been transformed into a massive artwork: Deltawerk // .

The Waterloopbos offers 35 scale models of hydraulic projects from all over the world. Off course the famous Dutch Deltawerken were tested here. The Deltagoot (Delta flume), a gigantic structure of two concrete walls in the Waterloopbos , served as the test location. Nowadays it has been transformed into an imposing memorial to the research once conducted in these woods. In the meantime this test location has lost its original function. In 2016 it was declared a Rijksmonument (Dutch national monument). The artists RAAAF | Atelier de Lyon were then asked by Natuurmonumenten (Society for Preservation of Nature Monuments in the Netherlands) to create a massive artwork from the famous 'Delta flume'. “Deltawerk //” became its title. And massive it has become: RAAAF and Atelier de Lyon have dug out the colossal wave basin; its concrete walls now tower some seven meters over the visitors. Enormous concrete panels were sawed out of the 250m-long Deltagoot, which were turned and placed at different angles to visualise the devastating power of the water. As years go by, nature will reclaim the work of art and mosses and ferns will take over (as in the rest of the Waterloopbos ).

After the last ice age - about 10 thousand years ago - the climate began to grow warmer and wetter. Sphagnum moss began to grow in the stagnant waters. The peat continued to grow and to spread. To the east of the Hondsrug - a ridge of sand that is mainly located in the Dutch province Drenthe - it developed into the enormous Bourtange peat bog, which at one time measured 3.000 square kilometres. The layer of peat became so thick that it even began to grow up high against the sides of the Hondsrug . On the edge of the Bargerveen , the peat covered the Hondsrug completely. The Bargerveen is the only large area of the Bourtange peat bog still surviving in the Netherlands. It is now a nature reserve of more than 2.000 hectares with one of the last areas of living peat. A peat bog is anything but flat and monotonous. The area is characterized by a wide variety of landscapes: swamp, grassland, heather, forest and water. The northern part of the Bargerveen is one large stretch of water. It is a real paradise for birdlife, as one can see from a large bird hide (PiP4). Since 2006 the Bargerveen is part of the Internationaler Naturpark Bourtanger Moor-Bargerveen (Bourtanger Moor-Bargerveen International Nature Park), a nature reserve located on both sides of the border between the Netherlands and Germany. The Dutch part of the nature reserve was founded in 1992 as Natuurreservaat Bargerveen .

Veenpark is an open-air museum with an area of 160 hectares, which makes it one of the largest open-air museums in Europe. The museum was founded in 1966 under the name Nationaal Veenpark 't Aole Compas . That year the peat village Barger-Compascuum - adjacent to the museum - celebrated its centenary. On that occasion, some moor cottages were reconstructed and furnished. The first exhibition acted like a magnet and many old tools and equipment were donated to the museum. Thanks to the temporary support of the government, the number of houses could also be increased. The museum offers two ‘villages’: an old colonist settlement 't Aole Compas with sod houses from around 1870 and the newer settlement Bargermond , where the period from 1920 to 1966 is shown. This village includes a church, cafe, school, windmill , bakery and a forge. Every day, the grocer, the peat cutter, the baker and the clog maker are at work here. Further on the museum offers a permanent exposition and an open-air area with peat fields, which shows the history of peat extraction in different time periods.

Windmill De Berk (The Berch) originally came from Drantum in Germany. The windmill was built in 1870 as a successor of a windmill that had been built in the middle of the 19th century, but had burnt down. In 1952, this mill was put out of action and fell into disrepair. Miller Bökkers from the (Dutch) town of Olst bought the mill with the intention of rebuilding it. His plans were not realised and in 1983, De Berk was rebuilt in the Veenpark - an open-air museum in Barger-Compascuum, Drenthe. Here, the windmill operated regularly, grinding grain as well. De Berk is an octagonal smock mill on a two storey brick base. It has a stage at first floor level (3.2 metres above ground level). The smock and cap are thatched. The flourmill was doing well until 2009, but then it was obvious that the mill could only be used to a very limited extent, only when the wind came from the right angle. This became less and less and slowly the mill stopped functioning and its overall condition continued to deteriorate. During my visit, I indeed noticed how ill-maintained De Berk is. To be honest one the worst maintained windmills in the Netherlands that I have ever seen. It is feared that the mill is beyond saving.

Renderklippen is a nature reserve, which is characterised by vast stretches of moorland that lie on moraines. These moraines were created during the last ice age. Archaeological excavations have shown that the area was already inhabited as early as 700 BC. There are several vantage points ranging in height from 25 to 30 metres throughout the undulating landscape, where one can enjoy breathtaking vistas. Because the Renderklippen nature reserve is located far from major cities, it is one of the few places in the Netherlands where it can still be really dark at night. Especially at the end of the summer, when the heather is in bloom, the Renderklippen is transformed into a landscape more purple than purple. For me, it is one of the most beautiful heather landscapes in the Netherlands

Pluizenmeer or Pluizenmeertje is a so called mere, which is filled with rainwater that does not sink into the ground because of an impermeable layer. This little ‘lake’ is named after veenpluis (common cottongrass), which used to grow here a lot. In the older days it was used for washing the sheep from nearby Renderklippen .