Discover Nijeveen: Circular Routes and Village History

Nijeveen combines short circular walking routes, a historic waterway and evidence of the village’s history. Specific local landmarks include the Nijeveense Grift, the Sint-Barbarakerk, De Sterrenberg windmill and the bronze monument “Boer met melkbussen”.

Short Circular Village Walks and Orientation

Nijeveen has three short circular village walks measuring 2 km, 3.5 km and 5 km. Posts with directional signs mark the green, blue and red routes. The kilometre distances of the three Nijeveen village circuits provide a specific framework for a walk; at the posts, the colours remain a secondary means of orientation.

Starting and Finishing Point at De Sterrenberg

An information board stands at the starting and finishing point by De Sterrenberg windmill. It lists the three circular village walks and provides information about various sights along the routes. De Sterrenberg was brought from Germany to the Netherlands in 1977 and uses the techniques of self-kruiing and self-zwichting.

From the Izakje-de-Vries Walk to the Route van Geluk

The Izakje-de-Vries Walk is approximately 12 km long and runs partly through the centre of Nijeveen and past farmhouses in the rural area to the north. The Route van Geluk is a 54 km leisure route. Compared with the short circular village walks, these two options cover longer distances. This means that trip planning offers a choice of a short village circuit, an approximately 12 km walk or a 54 km leisure route.

Grift, Sluisje and Tussenboerslanden

The Nijeveense Grift runs across the village of Nijeveen and is the oldest man-made waterway in Drenthe. The Sluisje is located in it and served as a stop lock for regulating water levels until the mid-19th century. The Tussenboerslanden swimming lake is also located northwest of the rural village and is colloquially known as the Nijeveense Plas. The two bodies of water are not at the same location: the Grift runs through Nijeveen, while Tussenboerslanden lies northwest of the village.

Church, Monument and Village History

The Sint-Barbarakerk was completed as a whole building shortly after 1477. The Barbarakerk in Nijeveen is suitable and available for church services and other activities of the Protestant congregation in Nijeveen-Kolderveen-Dinxterveen, as well as for other activities. At the De Schalle village community centre, the bronze monument “Boer met melkbussen” commemorates Nijeveen’s history of milk and cheese production. Together with the windmill, the Grift and the Sluisje, several specific historic sites are thus part of the village’s history.

Digital Local History from Two Villages

The Historische Vereniging Nijeveen has digitised old and new photographs of Nijeveen and Kolderveen and made them available in a publicly accessible image bank. Those interested in culture can view photographs from both villages there.

Discover More Places

Other destinations to consider include De Schiphorst, Meppel and Broekhuizen.

Return to the overarching travel overview: Meppel.