Dolmens and burial mounds in the Westerzand

Your route starts at MyHotel Steenwijk. Steenwijk is originally an old fortified town. The canals and city walls date from the time of the Eighty Years' War. Between Havelte and Steenwijk you cycle through the Westerzand, an undulating area with heathland, fens and drifting sand, partly covered with pine forest. The area is important from a cultural-historical point of view because of the burial mounds and dolmens. On the Havelterberg you will find Dolmen D53 and Dolmen D54. These prehistoric burial chambers were built during the Funnel Beaker Culture, from around 4350 to 2700 BC. Dolmen D53 is the second largest dolmen in the Netherlands. Then you cycle over the De Eese estate. The name 'de Eese' was first mentioned in 1241. On the estate there is an old castle from 1619, with a moat around it.