Hidden Fossils of the Hondsrug Complex Connect Time and Space
The Hondsrug UNESCO Global Geopark (Fig. 1) is situated in the northeast of the Netherlands. Geologically the Geopark comprises the Hondsrug-complex, a prominent range of low ridges dating from the Saalian ice age in the northeast of the Netherland.
The area has a varied landscape, with an undulating relief of ridges and valleys, prehistoric hunebeds (= ancient tombs), and burial mounds. The villages have a structure determined by a farming system dating back to the Middle Ages and are arranged in strings along the ridges. Field complexes alternate with forests, heather, brook systems and remnants of living bog.