Province of Drenthe, The Netherlands

Map of the Netherlands. Province of Drenthe (in red)

Drenthe is an agricultural part of the Dutch mainland, on the East of the country near the German border. Hidden among forests forests, Drenthe has been in the Middle ages a free republic of farmers. Today it also has big and impressive forests. Several of them protected are as Natural Parks.

Fifty-two interesting Neolithic stone monuments called "hunnebedden" ("Beds of the Huns") are spread all over province, documenting the beginnings of the human civilisation on Earth. Their exact function is not really known today. Were these place of burial predestined only to the selected, important people or these were just cemeteries? Did the "hunnebedden" also serve as places of worship or had some other additional function? Some of the objects found during the archaeological excavations indicate that prehistoric people had trading connections reaching as far as North Africa. During the WWII, the Germans partly destroyed one of these Neolithic monuments to make a place for their landing field. The "hunnebed" has been thoroughly restored in 1950.

The capital of the province of Drenthe is Assen. Its museum – Drents Museum features interesting archaeological finds from the area, but also in a separate department, uncertain authenticity finds of the amateur archaeologist Tjerk Vermaning (1929-1987).

Early, dark period of the famous Dutch painter Vincent van Gogh’s work depicting farmers and their heavy work, has been partly painted in Drenthe, during his stay there in 1883.

The province of Drenthe is a traditional holiday area for the Dutch people, those who do not like heat and decide not to travel in summer to the South of Europe. Because the province of Drenthe is a erfect area for the walks in the forest, bicycle tourism or horse riding.