A lot to discover

The Hondsrug UNESCO Global Geopark is a fascinating region, rich in nature, geological and cultural history. The varied landscape includes forests, heathland and streams winding through the gently sloping fields. You will find hunebeds, burial mounds and medieval cart tracks. The small villages, with their typical Saxon-style farmhouses, retain the atmosphere of small farming communities of the past. To the east you’ll find the peat colonies, created by digging turf which, after being dried, was sold for fuel. Archaeological finds displayed in the many museums include earthenware pots, stone tools and even a human corpse found perfectly preserved in the bog (the Girl from Yde in the Drents Museum in Assen). Famous painters visited the area to record the tranquil scenery.

The Ice Ages

Ice ages, from icy cold to sub-tropical heat

Some 2.5 million years ago the Ice Age started: periods of extremely cold climate, when a thick ice […]

Ancient History

A richness of pre-historic remains

Would you like to learn more about the hunebed builders and the 47 megalithic tombs still standing on […]

Peat and Peat Bogs

Cutting the turf

In the low-lying and water-logged areas east of the Hondsrug large thicknesses of peat bog accumulated during the […]

Explore the Hunebed Centre

Explore the local pre-history in the Hunebed Centre

Would you like to know more about the Ice Ages and the people who lived here? Then start […]

The Van Gogh House

The lodging place of Vincent van Gogh in Drenthe

The Van Gogh House in Nieuw-Amsterdam is in the former inn which belonged to Hendrik Scholte. In the […]

Waterpark ‘De Bloemert’

Alles over water in Waterpoort De Bloemert

The fifth expedition gateway of the Hondsrug UNESCO Global Geopark is located in the reception building of the […]

Bargerveen

A vast moorland

After the last ice age about 10 thousand years ago, the climate began to grow warmer and wetter. […]

Hunzebos and Leewal

A chain of parabolic dunes

The area around Exloo is rich in glacial remains. In the last ice age the land ice did […]

The Largest Hunebed

The largest and most famous Hunebed

At 22.5 metres long, hunebed D27 in Borger is the largest prehistoric stone burial monument in Drenthe. It […]