Drenthe Attractions
Provincial capital: Assen
(land area 265,568 hectares/655,953
The province of Drenthe is a region of mainly flat land lying between 10 and20m (35 and 70ft) above sea level in the extreme northeast of the Netherlands' great expanses of sandy heathland. The most conspicuous heights in Drenthe are the moraines, rising to 32m/105ft, of the Hondsrug, a range of hills formed during the second-last ice age (the Saale/Riss glacial) which extends for 50km/30mi from Emmen in the southeast to Groningen in the northwest. From here the land slopes almost imperceptibly down towards the west. It consists of marls laid down during the Saale/Riss glacial with deep overlying layers of sand deposited in later phases of the ice age.
There were formerly great expanses of heath between the traditional farming villages of Drenthe outside the moorland area, but over the last 80 years these have been replaced partly by plantations of pines but mainly by fields of rye, oats and potatoes. Most of the holdings are of less than 20 hectares/50 acres, but in the high moorland areas holdings of 50 hectares/125 acres are by no means rare.
In Drenthe industry takes second place to agriculture. Only in the southeast of the province is there any significant amount of industry, for after the cutting of peat was abandoned in this area a large labor force became available for employment. In addition the extraction of oil around Schoonebeek and Meppel has become of increasing importance in recent years.
(land area 265,568 hectares/655,953
The province of Drenthe is a region of mainly flat land lying between 10 and20m (35 and 70ft) above sea level in the extreme northeast of the Netherlands' great expanses of sandy heathland. The most conspicuous heights in Drenthe are the moraines, rising to 32m/105ft, of the Hondsrug, a range of hills formed during the second-last ice age (the Saale/Riss glacial) which extends for 50km/30mi from Emmen in the southeast to Groningen in the northwest. From here the land slopes almost imperceptibly down towards the west. It consists of marls laid down during the Saale/Riss glacial with deep overlying layers of sand deposited in later phases of the ice age.
There were formerly great expanses of heath between the traditional farming villages of Drenthe outside the moorland area, but over the last 80 years these have been replaced partly by plantations of pines but mainly by fields of rye, oats and potatoes. Most of the holdings are of less than 20 hectares/50 acres, but in the high moorland areas holdings of 50 hectares/125 acres are by no means rare.
In Drenthe industry takes second place to agriculture. Only in the southeast of the province is there any significant amount of industry, for after the cutting of peat was abandoned in this area a large labor force became available for employment. In addition the extraction of oil around Schoonebeek and Meppel has become of increasing importance in recent years.
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Eelde - International Museum of Wooden Shoes
The International Museum of Wooden Shoes looks at the development of the wooden shoe. There is an extensive collection of wooden shoes from the Netherlands and other countries.
International Klompen Museum
Wolfhorn 1a
Eelde, Drenthe 9761 BA
Netherlands
Wolfhorn 1a
Eelde, Drenthe 9761 BA
Netherlands
Hours
April 1 to October 1
| Mon | Tue | Wed | Thu | Fri | Sat | Sun | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Open | Closed | 14:00 | 14:00 | 14:00 | 14:00 | 14:00 | 14:00 |
| Close | 17:00 | 17:00 | 17:00 | 17:00 | 17:00 | 17:00 |
Disabled
Full facilities for persons with disabilities.
Facilities
Gift shop
Het Dwingelderveld
Area: ca. 1,200 hectares/3,000 acres; heathland.
Dwingelderveld National Park is located in the northern Netherlands.
Dwingelderveld National Park is located in the northern Netherlands.
De Schaapskooi Dwingelose Heide
Bendersee 38
Ruinen, Drenthe 7963 RA
Netherlands
Bendersee 38
Ruinen, Drenthe 7963 RA
Netherlands
Hooghalen - Radio Telescope, Netherlands
Near Hooghalen is a WW II deportation camp with a museum and memorials. In the immediate vicinity of Hooghalen is a radio telescope. There is another at Dwingeloo.
Hooghalen - Westerbork Kamp
South of Assen, at Hooghalen, is Kamp Westerbork, originally established in 1938 as a reception camp for Jewish refugees from Germany and Austria and used by the German occupying forces as a transit camp for the deportation of Jews. This dark chapter in history is commemorated by a memorial, some twisted railroad lines and the buffers at the end of the line.
Herinneringscentrum Kamp Westerbork
Oosthalen 8
Hooghalen, Drenthe 9414 TG
Netherlands
Oosthalen 8
Hooghalen, Drenthe 9414 TG
Netherlands
Hours
March 1 to October 31
| Mon | Tue | Wed | Thu | Fri | Sat | Sun | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Open | 10:00 | 10:00 | 10:00 | 10:00 | 10:00 | 13:00 | 13:00 |
| Close | 17:00 | 17:00 | 17:00 | 17:00 | 17:00 | 17:00 | 17:00 |
Always closed on:
New Year's Day (January 1)
New Year's Eve (December 31)
Christmas - Christian (December 25)
New Year's Eve (December 31)
Christmas - Christian (December 25)
Disabled
Full facilities for persons with disabilities.
Megalithic Tombs
A special feature of Drenthe is the large number of the prehistoric megalithic tombs known as hunebedden. These are constructed of huge slabs of stone carried from Scandinavia by glaciers during the Saale/Riss glacial and deposited here, particularly in the Hondsrug area. The best known hunebedden are to be found north of the village of Havelte, close to the road to Frederiksoord.
Natura Docet
Natura Docet is a provincial natural history museum.
Hours
| Mon | Tue | Wed | Thu | Fri | Sat | Sun | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Open | 10:00 | 10:00 | 10:00 | 10:00 | 10:00 | Closed | 11:00 |
| Close | 17:00 | 17:00 | 17:00 | 17:00 | 17:00 | 17:00 |
Odoorn - Sivo-Festival, Netherlands
The Sivo Festival takes place every year in late July and early August and showcases folk dancers, singers and musicians.
A conference an expositions are also held within the framework of the festival.
A conference an expositions are also held within the framework of the festival.
Orvelte, Netherlands
West of Hooghalen in the Assen area is the village of Orvelte, which has been rebuilt as it was in 1830, so that much of the village is now a lived-in open-air museum. Here visitors can see farmhouses of traditional Saxon type which are entered through the Tolhuis (toll-booth), a large village shop, a miller's house and various workshops. In some of the workshops local craft products (pottery, hand-carved domestic implements and utensils) are on sale. There are also a number of painters' studios.
Hours
April 1 to October 31
| Mon | Tue | Wed | Thu | Fri | Sat | Sun | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Open | 10:00 | 10:00 | 10:00 | 10:00 | 10:00 | 11:00 | 11:00 |
| Close | 17:00 | 17:00 | 17:00 | 17:00 | 17:00 | 17:00 | 17:00 |
Disabled
Full facilities for persons with disabilities.
Schoonoord - Ellert en Brammert Open-Air Museum, Netherlands
The Ellert and Brammert open-air museum in Schoonoord gives a picture of life in south- eastern Drenthe in the 19th century (workshops, barns, an old school, etc.).
Openluchtmuseum De Zeven Marken
Tramstraat 73
Schoonoord, Drenthe 7848 CA
Netherlands
Tramstraat 73
Schoonoord, Drenthe 7848 CA
Netherlands
Hours
April 1 to October 31
| Mon | Tue | Wed | Thu | Fri | Sat | Sun | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Open | 9:00 | 9:00 | 9:00 | 9:00 | 9:00 | 9:00 | 9:00 |
| Close | 18:00 | 18:00 | 18:00 | 18:00 | 18:00 | 18:00 | 18:00 |
Disabled
Full facilities for persons with disabilities.
Veen Settlements
During the ice ages large expanses of low moorland were formed over the layers of sand at the lowest points in Drenthe. In depressions in the higher parts of the region there came into being extensive tracts of high moorland, which have now been completely drained and brought into cultivation as veen settlements. This applies particularly to the Groningen veen settlements. Most of the moorland settlements in Drenthe are situated around Beilen and Hoogeveen, in the south of the province.
