Holiday apartment in Klijndijk: Forest, trails and memorial sites

Klijndijk combines local history, woodland landscapes and special places of remembrance within a closely connected thematic area. The village developed shortly after the construction of the Odoornerzijtak side canal around 1860, at its terminus. The Zietakkerbos also reflects a more recent phase of development: as far as is known, it was created around 1920 to 1930 as part of an employment creation scheme; the trees were planted for timber production.

Forest, hiking trails and geopark experiences

The approximately 450-hectare Valtherbos is a forest area with several burial mounds and the hunebed D35. The Jodenhol memorial is also located in the Valtherbos on the Westerweg in Klijndijk. The surrounding area offers hikers several specific points of interest: a six-kilometre route of the UNESCO Global Geopark De Hondsrug starts at the car park at Melkweg 42 in Klijndijk and passes the Eppiesbergje. From the car park on Melkweg, you can also follow the path to hunebed D35.

Eppiesbergje is a large burial mound in the fields north of the road from Odoorn to Valthe. The burial mound originally dates from around 2500 BC and continued to be used as a burial site. This allows landscape and history reaching far back into the past to come together on a walk, without having to consider the two themes separately. The different trail lengths and destinations help you tailor your daily itinerary to your own interests.

A Staatsbosbeheer hiking trail runs through the Zietakkerbos. There is also an educational trail with information about various birds and their nesting boxes. Several hiking trails in the area around the Onderduikershol pass this site. The cycle path towards Emmen runs close to the Onderduikershol and adds another option for actively exploring the landscape.

Memorial sites with tangible traces

The Jodenhol in Klijndijk is an underground shelter that has been restored as far as possible to the condition it was in around 1945. A total of 16 Jewish people found shelter in the Onderduikershol for shorter or longer periods between December 1942 and the liberation on 11 April 1945. Following thorough restoration, the Jodenhol was officially reopened on 20 April 2004. Guided tours of the Onderduikershol are available by prior request via email.

The path from the Onderduikershol memorial to the A-Boom is approximately 400 metres long and is signposted at the memorial's information board. The A-Boom is a tree with the letter A carved into it and a memorial plaque standing next to it at the site of a second Onderduikershol from the Second World War. The memorial plaque was unveiled in May 2013 by Aaltjo Oldenburger, who had been involved with a second Onderduikershol.

A reconstructed round opening at the Onderduikershol gives an impression of the former appearance and location of the wartime water well. This well was seven metres deep and supplied fresh water. Approximately in the centre of the clearing stands a lime tree that was planted during the ceremony unveiling “Het Monument” in 1984. An information board at the Jodenhol was unveiled by relatives of former people in hiding.

Church, art and local remembrance

A church built around 1900 stands behind trees on the Hoofdweg. This church housed the Hervormde Evangelisatiegemeente, which had around 25 members; it was named “De goede Herder”. Since 2010, a bust of Max Douwes created by the artist Lia Krol has been documented at the end of the Zietak in Klijndijk. The large roundabout is also home to the glass-and-metal artwork “Kringloop van het Leven”.

The 4 mei Comité Valthe-Klijndijk is also one of the visible forms of local remembrance: every year on 4 May, it organises a commemorative event.

More places to discover

More local pages: Drouwenerveen, Drouwen, Tweede Exloërmond, Eesergroen, Bronneger, Buinen, Ees and Odoorn.

For the overarching travel overview: Borger-Odoorn.