Holiday apartment in Noordenveld – Nature, culture and UNESCO heritage

Noordenveld combines a varied landscape with places where nature, history and regional culture are immediately visible. The area includes peat bogs, heathlands, forests and drifting sands. Its landscape stretches from the stream-valley landscape with old depths, hedgerows and wooded strips in the northern Onlanden to ancient forests in the south, and from historic esdorp landscapes to the living raised bog at Fochteloërveen.

Noordenveld can be explored on foot, by bicycle, on horseback or by canoe. The forests, fields, small lakes, wetlands, heathlands and esdorp landscapes are suitable for extensive cycling tours. There are also walking trails through forests, heathlands, wet nature areas and fields with hedgerows. The Noordsche Veld walking route through the Kop van Drenthe leads through the forest, along hedgerows and across the heathland.

Nature

In the Onlanden, visitors can observe, among other species, great egrets, marsh harriers, white-tailed eagles, bitterns and otters. A 360-degree view over the stream-valley landscape of the Eelderdiep and Peizerdiep can be enjoyed from a 26-metre-high observation tower. In the Onlanden, you can walk, cycle and canoe, although not everywhere; regular guided excursions are also offered.

On the edge of the forests of Een, Ronostrand offers a bathing area in the lake and relaxation on the beach. The combination of water, forest, heathland and open fields can be seen here just as in the other landscape areas of Noordenveld.

History and culture

Veenhuizen is part of the Dutch UNESCO World Heritage Site Colonies of Benevolence. These Colonies of Benevolence were established to accommodate and rehabilitate poor people so that they could return to society. The National Prison Museum presents stories about poverty, neglect, crime and punishment.

Noordsche Veld is an archaeological monument with well-preserved traces of the past, including burial mounds and hunebeds; it was designated as such in 2017. Hunebed D1 (Drenthe 1) in Steenbergen is the northernmost hunebed in Drenthe. It is easily accessible by car; there is also a spacious car park and a walking trail next to the hunebed.

Zwartendijksterschans was constructed in 1593 to block the road between Groningen and Friesland to the Spanish, and it can be visited freely. In Roderwolde, Woldzigt is a combined grain and oil mill founded in 1852. The mill is fully operational and has millstones and two pairs of stone grinding wheels, one of which is undershot, as well as a preliminary and a finishing sifting stage.

The power station, built in 1909, was used only as an emergency power station after about 20 years and was restored at the beginning of this century; demonstrations can be attended there. The dove painted on the keystone is considered the oldest painting in Drenthe. The old havezate can be explored with its historic furnishings, providing an opportunity to learn about its inhabitants over the centuries. The church dates from the 13th century.

Roden also has its own distinctive cultural offering: it has its own theatre, cinema and art centre. A small, complete museum presents the journey of grain from sowing and harvesting through sale on the exchange to processing into products. Rodermarkt is a week-long event with a parade, live music, trotting races, a funfair and other activities. Several walking trails start from the Brink in Norg; some routes are marked by colour on a sign.

Getting around

Veenhuizen is accessible by car, has free parking spaces at several locations and is served by bus route 14 from Assen and Drachten. The catering and information pavilion offers food, drinks and information about the area; cycling and walking routes start there, and activities can also be booked.

Holiday apartment in Noordenveld

For a holiday apartment in Noordenveld, you can compare specific accommodation pages with one another. These details can also be compared objectively when choosing accommodation. Depending on the offer, the focus may be on a holiday apartment or a holiday home. The specific information stated for each individual offer remains decisive before you check the booking conditions.

Places in Noordenveld

Other places in the area include Alteveer, Norg, Roderesch, Zuidvelde, Roden, Veenhuizen, Een, Westervelde, Peest, Peize, Roderwolde and Een-West.

For the overview of the wider travel region: Drenthe.