Holiday apartment in Assen – Forest, culture and TT Circuit

On the outskirts of Assen lies Asserbos, one of the oldest forests in the Netherlands. Numerous walking trails pass ponds, winding streams, centuries-old oaks and special historic sites. The forest also includes a city farm, a bird island, a wildlife park and a water playground.

Nature and trails

Asserbos is home to the Sustainability Centre. There are exhibitions, walking trails, a barefoot water trail and craft activities for children. The facilities also include a changing sustainability exhibition, craft activities using sustainable materials and other activities. Thematic walks ranging from 1.5 to 15 kilometres start at the Sustainability Centre.

The signposted city walk Stad der Paleizen in Assen is 3.2 kilometres long and passes historic sites and distinctive buildings. It begins at the entrance to the Drents Museum. Landgoed Overcingel includes an approximately five-hectare English landscape garden surrounding the grand residence. The Drostenhuis in Assen was built between 1774 and 1778. The Abdijkerk, also known as Kloosterkerk, was formerly part of the Mariënkamp convent in Assen.

Culture and history

The Historical Collection of the Prins Bernhard Regiment Stoottroepen is located in the Johan Willem Friso Barracks in Assen and is colloquially known as the Stoottroepen Museum. Its presentation covers the origins of the Stoottroepen in the resistance during the Second World War through to the present-day deployments of the Stoters as part of the Air Assault Brigade.

The Drents Museum has a diverse collection of archaeology, art and history. The Brasserie Pingo in the Drents Museum serves a Drenthe speciality and lunch.

The library of the Drents Archief contains more than 10,000 titles on the history, villages and inhabitants of Drenthe, as well as on art, archaeology and folklore within and beyond the province.

The exhibitions at CAMPIS are free to access.

One of the distinctive buildings is the Jozefkerk in Assen. It is a Rijksmonument and a so-called Waterstaatskerk with an imposing tower, symmetrical style, rib vaults and a Van Dam organ. At the same time, the Jozefkerk serves as a cultural centre and regularly hosts concerts, lectures and other cultural events that are open to the wider community.

The Gouvernementsgebouw on the Brink is a Rijksmonument built in 1887 and designed in the Neo-Gothic style. It has been part of the Drents Museum since 1976. The Gouverneurstuin was once the garden of the governor of Drenthe, Petrus Hofstede, who held this office from 1814 to 1831.

Cycling and motorsport

Various cycling routes with clearly defined courses are available for bike tours. The completed Asser section of the De Groene As cycle highway is six kilometres long, follows the eastern bank of the Havenkanaal and leads to the municipal boundary near Tynaarlo. The Rondje Assen cycling route is 38 kilometres long and runs along cycle paths on the outskirts of Assen.

Motorsport has its own tradition here. Motorsport has been held at TT Circuit Assen since 1925. TT Circuit Assen is the home of the MotoGP Dutch TT. In addition to the Dutch TT, the venue hosts World Superbike, JACK's Racing Day and various track days.

In the cityscape, the TT Monument commemorates the long-standing and inseparable connection between Assen and the TT Circuit. It depicts a rider on a racing motorcycle performing a wheelie, with the front of the motorcycle pointing towards the circuit.

Assen, Loon and Zeijerveen.

To the overarching travel overview: Drenthe.

More destinations

More places within the same destination:

Midden-Drenthe, Coevorden, Emmen, De Wolden, Noordenveld.