Cycling through the grain polders of the Oldambt

From the parking lot, turn right towards junction 25 and then along the Westerwoldse Aa to junction 23. The Kroonpolder is visible in all its vastness with seemingly endless wheat fields in the summer. The Grain Republic lies before you. The route continues past typical large Oldambtster farms, built in the golden times of the Grain Republic.

The route passes through Finsterwolde with not only large farms and beautiful rentier homes, but also past characteristic farm workers' homes in better times. The social contradictions in the Oldambt were great. The farmers who have become rich and the (too) low paid agricultural workers. These stark differences led to the 1929 farm workers' strike . It was the most extensive labor conflict in the history of the Dutch countryside. It was not just about the level of pay, but also about power. The impoverished agricultural workers wanted to get their rights from the prosperous peasantry who did not want to make any concessions. It is therefore not surprising that the communist party was firmly established here.