Holiday apartment in Drouwenerveen: Hunze, peat landscape and village history

Drouwenerveen combines the history of the peat colonies with a landscape where water, wetlands and rural village development exist closely side by side. This creates a destination with various facets for you to discover: nature experiences in De Branden, summer canoeing on the Hunze, a cycling excursion and unusual insights into 19th-century Drenthe.

Holiday apartment in Drouwenerveen between the Hunze and De Branden

Drouwenerveen originated at the beginning of the 19th century as a linear village on a sandy ridge east of the Achterste Diep stream. Later, dikes were built along the Achterste Diep to prevent the watercourse from overflowing during the autumn months. In the area around Drouwenerveen and Gasselte lies De Branden, a 240-hectare area where the Achterste Diep and Voorste Diep converge and continue flowing as the Hunze.

De Branden has been developed as a moist to wet nature reserve. This created 240 hectares of new nature and additional space for water storage. The area between Drouwenerveen and Drouwenerzand can also be explored by bicycle: an IVN-R cycling excursion takes you along cycle paths and quiet roads to other special places in the surrounding area.

Peat colonies, village life and historical traces

The first inhabitants settled around 1750, at the beginning of the reclamation of the Drouwener Venen peatlands. They lived in sod huts on the edge of the marshy area. Drouwenerveen did not become a proper settlement until around 1820. The settlement on the edge of the peatlands developed into a rural village of the peat colonies. Farmers from the surrounding area of Drouwen built farmsteads on both sides of the winding main road.

As part of this development, the Drenthe peat region was officially connected to Groningen’s Stadskanaal. This increased the peat trade in Drenthe, and the peat colonies continued to develop. From 1886, Drouwenerveen had its own village school. When the number of pupils declined, the village community itself took over its maintenance to keep the school open.

On Hoofdstraat stands a Reformed church dating from 1915. It is no longer used as a church and is privately owned. The building is currently used as a residence. A grave with a pedestal and stele commemorates H. Kamps, who died in 1921. A bell from 1895 hangs in a modern iron bell frame.

Experiences for active and curious days

“Achterdocht in het veen” is a group game that combines a treasure hunt, a trading game and a puzzle trail. The game transports participants to Drenthe in 1850, when peat, wood and genever formed the backbone of the local economy. This makes the past of the peat colonies tangible not only through buildings and landscape, but also through a shared activity.

At 25 Graden Noord in Drouwenerveen, canoeing on the Hunze is offered in summer. Camperplaatsen 25 graden Noord also offers eight motorhome pitches in Drenthe on a four-hectare site surrounded by trees and grassland; one of the pitches is located directly beside a lake.

Regional products are also part of the village scene: Maatschap Dilling in Drouwenerveen welcomes visitors to its farm shop and vending machine, offering fresh asparagus, blueberries and regional products.

When choosing your holiday apartment in Drouwenerveen, you can tailor the focus of your stay to these different aspects of the village. De Branden, the Hunze and the cycling excursion are ideal for days spent in the countryside and by the water. The group game, the peatland history, the school and the historical traces on Hoofdstraat offer different points of focus. This allows your choice of accommodation to match your preferred balance of nature, activity, regional history and culinary discoveries.

Further destinations:Bronneger, Valthe, Ees, Borger, Exloo, Odoorn, Tweede Exloërmond, Valthermond

To the main travel overview: Borger-Odoorn.