Drenthe days are long

Drenthe is home to a surprising amount of history. This route takes you through old esdorpjes and former mining areas, but also along Kamp Westerbork. Feel free to plan a whole day for this excursion.

Open Air Museum Orvelte
Then you will cycle through the Heart of Drenthe: over 5000 hectares of nature where you will feel like you are cycling through the wilderness. You will also pass through Orvelte, an almost thousand year old brink 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 was founded in 1926 as a work creation project on the Balingerveld. From here you cycle back into nature: you will find a mosaic of forests, heathlands and capricious streams. You cycle through the village of Westerbork once more, after which you cycle through the forests to the more northerly situated Camp Westerbork.

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 site. Here you can see various films, but also walls of original barracks. Where the railway tracks ended in the camp, you can see the National Monument Camp Westerbork. This impressive monument was designed by a survivor who was in the labor camp, Ralph Prins.