Lakes and Maden Route

The village of Peize is mentioned as early as 1165. In the 12th century a noble family from Groningen had the castle'Huis te Peize\\\' built. Unfortunately, the castle was demolished in the 19th century and parts of the remains have been incorporated into the farms between the mill and the church. From 1600 to 1840 Peize was the largest producer of hops, for the production of beer, in Drenthe. Hop cultivation has been honored with the name of the café/brewery'De Hopbel\\\'. The reformed church was built in the second half of the 13th century. The current tower was built in 1824. The church has one of the oldest organs in Drenthe and was built in 1631.

Paterswoldsemeer
The Paterswoldsemeer was excavated around 1800 through peat extraction. From 1900 the lake mainly became a recreational lake. On Groningen territory, the lake has expanded considerably with the Hoornse Plas (1976) and the Hoornsemeer (1982).

Groningen city park
The City Park Groningen is located on the west side of the city. It was built at the end of the 19th century at the initiative of the Groningen industrialist Jan Evert Scholten. In tribute, a monument was placed on the Concourslaan. The park was designed by landscape architect L. Springer and JAMulock Houwer.

Letterbertercaps
On the north side of the Leekstermeer is a beautiful small swamp forest, the Lettelberterpetten or the forest of Olde Mart in the open landscape. The Lettelberterpetten are peat holes, created by peat extraction, which have grown over with, among other things, Black Alder trees.

Midwolde
Although the route does not run close to it, the church of Midwolde is clearly visible. The church dates from the 12th and 13th centuries. The interior is beautifully designed. The organ is from 1630 and originally from the Borg Nienoord.

Estate and Borg Nienoord
The original deposit was built in 1525, but unfortunately burned down in 1850. The current country house was built on the foundations in 1885 by the Van Panhuys family. They have only been able to enjoy it for 22 years; they arrived complete with carriage and all in the Hoendiep and drowned. The National Carriage Museum is located in the borg and right next to it is the Nienoord family park. In addition to a playground and a swimming castle, there are various model railways to view.

The Onlanden
The area between the Leekstermeer and the Paterswoldsemeer is called'De Onlanden'. The area has been set up as a nature reserve and water storage facility. Old rivers and rifts have been restored. Swamp forests and moist grasslands will develop because the area will be partially submerged in winter. It then becomes a true paradise for riverbank and marsh plants and marsh birds.

moor pen
North of Peize, in the De Onlanden area, are more than 200 man-made peat mounds. These are round mounds of which the smallest have a diameter of about 12 meters and are about 30 cm high and the larger ones have a diameter of about 35 meters and are 100 cm high. On these mounds stood a house of peat sods and a well. Archaeological research has shown that they were used as small beer breweries in the 12th and 13th centuries. After that they are no longer used.