Holiday apartment in Emmen: Moorland, culture and special experiences

Emmen combines impressive moorland landscapes with wildlife, art, museums and traces of a complex history. Among nature trails, historic railways, canals and contemporary cultural venues, there are many different places to explore.

Nature and trails

Bargerveen is accessible year-round via approved roads and paths. Hiking and cycling junction networks run through and around Bargerveen and continue across the German border. One section, from the Bargerveen-Noord car park to the birdwatching hide and the top of the Verlengde Noordersloot lookout hill, is accessible to wheelchair users and mobility scooter users. This means that extensive moorland trails and clearly designated accessible sections can be found within the same nature reserve.

Wildlife and cultural venues

WILDLANDS Adventure Zoo Emmen offers three themed worlds: Jungola, Nortica and Serenga. The zoo is home to more than 250 animal species in habitats inspired by natural environments. The ATLAS Theater is located directly next to WILDLANDS. Its programme includes cabaret, classical music, family performances, dance, theatre and music. The theatre can be reached on foot from Emmen railway station and the shops.

Rensenpark is located on the former site of Noorder Dierenpark and is now a city park for art, culture and creativity. The Museum voor Hedendaagse Tibetaanse Kunst displays artworks, ritual objects and paintings from Tibet, Bhutan and Nepal. Live performances are regularly held at the museum, which also offers workshops. DIEP Emmen is also located in Rensenpark. It presents exhibitions, educational programmes and collaborations with local and international artists. Educational projects and art activities take place regularly; visitors can take part in workshops or educational projects. The former elephant enclosure in Rensenpark contains colourful works by 35 international and Dutch street-art and graffiti artists.

Moorland, railways and everyday history

Veenpark has two narrow-gauge railway lines and many kilometres of navigable canals used for passenger transport. It depicts the lives of peat workers around 1920; visitors can explore the villages and the raised bog area by train and peat boat. Veenpark is also home to the only remaining peat excavation site, where visitors can experience for themselves how peat was cut.

The Industrieel Smalspoor Museum offers narrow-gauge railway rides and activities in a special moorland nature area. The rides include stops at the Fijnfabriek or the historic engine shed. The Veenloopcentrum in Weiteveen shows how pioneers and Franciscan nuns used to live in this area. The centre is also the starting point for cycling and walking routes through the moorland.

Art and urban history

The Van Gogh Huis Drenthe in Nieuw-Amsterdam/Veenoord is the only publicly accessible building in the Netherlands where Vincent van Gogh lived and worked. From Nieuw-Amsterdam railway station, the Van Gogh Huis Drenthe can be reached on foot in approximately four minutes. Museum De Nabershof, a farm museum dating from 1681, presents the exhibitions „Boeren op het Noordeind“ and „Boeren op de Nabershof“. The museum also explains how „Empne“ developed into the farming village of Emmen in the Middle Ages and presents an almost complete overview of its farms, owners and residents.

Museum Collectie Brands presents historical objects, artworks and memorabilia relating to the history of the region and beyond. Hunebed D43 is the only long tomb in the Netherlands and was built around 3000 BC by the Funnel Beaker culture. Emmerschans is an earthwork built around 1800 during the French period for defence purposes.

Emmen railway station can be reached directly by train and is within walking distance of the city centre and WILDLANDS. MoCTA offers an audio guide in Dutch, English and German, with recorded explanations of artworks and museum objects. The museum is wheelchair accessible and can be reached on foot from Emmen railway station in approximately ten minutes.

Emmen therefore offers both clearly defined routes through moorland landscapes and well-documented cultural and historical sites. More local pages: Emmen, Erica, Nieuw-Amsterdam, Roswinkel, Schoonebeek, Zwartemeer, Emmer-Compascuum, Weiteveen.

For the overarching travel overview: Drenthe.