Holiday apartment in Hoogeveen: Culture, Nature and History

Hoogeveen tells its story through peatland, canals, churches and signposted trails. The town's development began in the 17th century as a settlement of peat cutters in the peatlands of Drenthe. You can still encounter this heritage today in historical traces, cultural sites and routes that connect the landscape with the past.

History

A visible reminder of the peat history is De Cascade in Hoogeveen's shopping centre. The water artwork is 250 metres long and ten metres wide and recalls the former canal used to transport peat. The Onderduikersmuseum de Duikelaar is also dedicated to the past: exhibitions and reconstructed hiding places tell the local history of people going into hiding during the Second World War.

In Nieuwlande and its surroundings, a special award commemorates the aid provided to Jewish people in hiding. For supporting their accommodation during the Second World War, Nieuwlande and the surrounding area received a collective Yad Vashem award. In the Spaarbankbos, a monument also commemorates the place where five residents of Hoogeveen were shot by the German occupying forces on 1 August 1943.

Culture

The Grote Kerk Hoogeveen combines several construction phases. Construction began in 1651, and the church was extended three times between 1766 and 1804. The church was built between 1652 and 1664 in the Neoclassical style. The openwork white roof turret dates from 1720 and houses bells from the 17th century. The former synagogue from 1856 also stands on Schutstraat and is used by the Baptist congregation.

De Zwaluw is a working grain mill with a shop in the centre of Hoogeveen. The miller traditionally grinds various types of grain and sells them in the mill shop. Another local connection leads to Vincent van Gogh: Hoogeveen commemorates his stay in 1883 with murals as well as cycling and walking routes.

The De Tamboer theatre also adds its own cultural accent. Its children's theatre programme includes at least one children's performance per month, supplemented by additional activities such as workshops.

Nature

Nuilerveld is a nature reserve of approximately 60 hectares, managed by Het Drentse Landschap and largely characterised by a windblown sand landscape. The Herenplaten of Nuilerveld, Drenthe's ninth geological monument, are part of this area. They illustrate how ice, wind and water shaped the landscape.

Spaarbankbos developed from a wet heathland into a walking forest for the residents of Hoogeveen. In the Oude Diep nature reserve, you can walk along a meandering stream surrounded by hay meadows, hedgerows and riverside woodland. The water flows from Mantinge towards Hoogeveen. In Hoogeveen itself, you can also walk along the Hoogeveense Vaart.

Things to do

Several routes open up the landscape, with different lengths and themes. In the woodland area of Hollandscheveld, there is an unmarked six-kilometre walking route. The 56-kilometre cycling route “Rond Hoogeveen” also runs there. The signposted 19-kilometre walking route “Oude Diep” passes through Spaarbankbos and the Boerenveensche Plassen nature reserve.

The 50-kilometre cycling route “Vincents Aankomst” starts at Hoogeveen railway station. Along the route, information boards, viewing panels and audio stories provide information about Vincent van Gogh's time in Drenthe. There is parking at the station and good public transport connections for this route. A guided Van Gogh walk can also be joined from Hoogeveen railway station.

The signposted three-kilometre “City Walk Hoogeveen (Trommelslager)” presents the history of Hoogeveen. The Tourist Info Punt Hoogeveen provides information about routes, sights, day trips and events and is also a starting point for a guided city walk.

The inclusive family adventure trail ’t Opgaonde is located in the Schoonhoven recreation area. The route is more than two kilometres long and accessible to wheelchairs, rollators and pushchairs. Several rest areas and information elements there focus on the area's natural and cultural history.

Further places

For further exploration, place links lead to Fluitenberg, Tiendeveen, Pesse, Nieuweroord, Stuifzand and Elim. Open the place links directly at the names mentioned to continue exploring the area around Hoogeveen.

To the higher-level travel overview: Drenthe.