Drenthe days are long

Drenthe is home to a surprising amount of history. This route takes you through old esdorp villages and former extraction areas, but also past Camp Westerbork. Feel free to plan a whole day for this trip.

Orvelte Open Air Museum
You then drive through the Heart of Drenthe: more than 5,000 hectares of nature where you get the feeling of cycling through the wilderness. You will also pass through Orvelte, an almost thousand-year-old green village. There are many historical sights to see. Car-free Orvelte always scores high on lists of the most beautiful villages in the Netherlands.

Heart of Drenthe
Witteveen is the youngest village in Drenthe. It is a reclamation village that emerged in 1926 as a job creation project on the Balingerveld. From here you drive back into nature: here you will find a mosaic of forests, heathlands and whimsical streams. You cycle through the village of Westerbork again, after which you drive through the woods to Camp Westerbork further north.

Camp Westerbork
In the woods near Hooghalen you will pass Camp Westerbork. The former camp site is now a green plain, the old commander's house is one of the few remaining buildings. There is a museum on the grounds. Various films can be seen here, as well as walls of original barracks. Where the railway tracks ended in the camp, you can see the National Monument Camp Westerbork. This compelling monument was designed by a survivor who served in the labor camp, Ralph Prins.