Visiting Drenthe was the last province on my list. And what is Drenthe famous for?
I was told “Hunebedden” – ancient stone megaliths forming hunebeds or dolmens scattered throughout the province. Older than the Pyramids and Stonehenge!
Hunebeds
Once upon a time, there were these giant boulders brought here by the movement of glaciers during the last Ice Age about 150.000 years ago. It is believed that the first people called Funnel Beaker Culture, settled here in this part of the Netherlands as farmers and built the hunebeds. So, hunebeds are prehistoric burial chambers, built around 5.500 years ago at the beginning of the New Stone Age (c 3.500 BC). Think ancient tombstones for mass graves!
Huynen
People used to think that the hunebeds were built by the giants referring to them as Huynen. However, these early settlers were truly very short people measuring up to 1.65 meters.
Excavation
The first hunebed was excavated as early as 1685. Since hunebeds are made to honour dead ancestors, items such as bones, pottery, axes and jewellery were found during archaeological investigation. A common burial practice to honour those who watched over the well-being of the living. Incidentally, Funnel Beaker is named after the characteristic shape of their pottery.
No hunebeds have ever been fully excavated further. They hold secrets no one will ever know.
Where are these hunebeds?
The fact is, there are 54 hunebeds in this part of the Netherlands; 52 in the province of Drenthe and 2 in Groningen. Most of them can be found along the ridge of high sandy ground known as the Hondsrug region, stretching from Emmen up to Groningen.
Largest Hunebed D27
In the present day, the largest prehistoric stone burial monument hunebed is called D27, located right next to the Hunebed Centre Museum in the village of Borger, in Drenthe. It measures 22.5 metres long and 4.1 meters wide. It has 9 massive capstones, 28 supporting stones and more stones forming the portal entrance. It also contains the largest stone ever found in a Dutch hunebed, with an estimated weight of 20.000 kilos.
At 1.69m, I am slightly too tall to stand straight up inside. At a glance, it is a pile of large boulders magically grouped and stacked together systematically. The hunebeds are the oldest monuments in the Netherlands. Undoubtedly, Dolmen number 27 is huge and darn impressive. I can only imagine all the stories buried here under …
Should you like to visit D27, start your journey at the museum first!
Rock Garden
As I walk towards the Hunebed Centre Museum, a garden of rocks comes into sight. The Boulder Garden / “Keientuin” to be precise! The largest in the Netherlands consists of thousands of stones; large and small. Such enormous collections are samples of rocks that were transported here during the last Saalian Ice Age about 150.000 years ago, from Scandinavia. A number of them are labelled with information about the type of stone, origin of the rocks and age. The stones were all donated by local inhabitants. A community rock garden created by the people of Drenthe.
Museum
Inside the museum, the story of the hunebed builders is told through a series of dioramas, films, games and display cases filled with ancient objects. With a bit of imagination, the museum exhibits transport me back 5.000 years ago showcasing how the people of the Funnel Beaker Culture lived, and worked on the land, what rituals they performed, and why and how they (probably) built the massive stone graves known as dolmens or hunebeds.
The entire museum set feels very early 1980s. Outdated but it does the job. Not very exciting to say the least. However, all information and explanations are provided in Dutch, English and German. Good enough to keep the children engaged.
After the museum, the route leads me outside towards the D27, Geopark and Prehistoric Park.
Expo Hondsrug UNESCO Global Geopark
With a valid ticket from the museum, I could enter the special Geopark exhibition and visitors’ centre free of charge. First, I google what is a UNESCO Global Geopark.
It says a UNESCO Global Geopark is a geographical area where the sites and landscapes are recognized for their geological heritage of international significance. There are about 195 certified geoparks in 48 countries. I never knew this!
The region of Hondsrug’s landscape was formed when ice and melt-water moulded and shaped into ridges and stream valleys, created during the ice ages. Such unique geological heritage influenced the way people lived here and that is why Hondsrug is a Geopark.
The exhibition hall explains the origin and 150.000 years history of the Hondsrug. Stories of mammoths, Iron Age farmers, sacrificial sites, ice age pingo, burial mounds and more. Presented in a simplest manner; the timeline is supported by several digital displays and accompanying objects all in Dutch. Meanwhile, the English and German translations are prepared in a booklet. A lot of reading, which I skipped.
Prehistoric park
The “Oertijdpark” or the Prehistoric Park is a journey through time. A walk through the compound learning how people once lived here in their life-sized farmhouses from three different prehistoric periods – Stone Age, Bronze Age and Iron Age. There is also a temple, butterfly garden, reindeer hunters’ hut, reconstruction of D26 excavation, barefoot path, archery range, an ancient wooden causeway through the peat bog, phonolite stones music, and more. An absolute fun outdoor area for all ages.
Museum Shop
Last but not least, the museum shop has the usual souvenirs plus diverse FREE walking maps to explore the nature in the surrounding area. Routes ranging from a short 5km of 1 hour to 13.5km which will take approximately 3 hours to complete. You could spend the entire day inspecting one hunebed after another. Idea!
Driving from Haarlem to Borger took more than 2 hours. The entire visit to the Hunebed Centre Museum and its surrounding complex lasted another 2.5 hours. Prepare to stay longer if you have young children who would love to try all the nature activities. A half-day trip all in all. So, plan ahead.
Website: https://www.hunebedcentrum.eu
📍Hunebedstraat 27. 9531 JV Borger.
Opening Hours: Tuesday to Friday from 10 am – 5pm, Saturday and Sunday and public holidays from 11 am – 5pm. Closed on Mondays except during school holidays period.
Entrance Fees: €14.50 for adult, €7.50 for kids age 4 to 11 years old and FREE for all under 4 years old. FREE entry for Museumkaart holders.
Getting There: Please use this link to plan your journey – https://9292.nl/en