Buinen combines a long local history with distinctive traces in the landscape. Hunebed D28 near Buinen, the Prinses Beatrix Oak, planted in 1938, and the pingo ruins in the woods between Ees, Buinen and Exloo offer different points of entry: archaeological heritage, an event with a precise date, and a landform from the Ice Age. There are also traces of railway and water-management history. Those choosing Buinen as a destination can therefore focus on local history, the landscape or a horse-riding route.
The Hondsrug and the Ice Age landscape
Buinen lies on the eastern slope of the Hondsrug. Numerous pingo ruins lie in the woods between Ees, Buinen and Exloo. They formed during the last Ice Age, when ice lenses grew in the frozen ground. This gives a different perspective on time than the medieval history of the village: here, the focus is on geological processes, not on the development of the settlement. The Hondsrug locates Buinen; the pingo ruins belong to the woodland landscape between Ees, Buinen and Exloo.
Local history across several periods
Hunebed D28 near Buinen is managed as an archaeological monument by Het Drentse Landschap. Buinen developed in the Middle Ages as an esch village and daughter settlement of Borger. These points of reference tell different chapters of the story: D28 represents archaeological heritage, while the origins of the settlement name Buinen’s historical relationship with Borger.
Another, much later marker in time is the Prinses Beatrix Oak. It was planted in 1938 to mark the birth of Princess Beatrix, the future Queen Beatrix. The monument, the origins of the settlement and the planting of the tree thus span the period from the Middle Ages to a specifically dated event in the 20th century.
Railway and water-management history
The railway history also has a clear date: in 1905, the Noord-Ooster Lokaal Spoorwegmaatschappij opened a station in Buinen on the Zwolle–Stadskanaal line. Spoorstraat is a surviving trace of Buinen’s former railway history. The station opening and the surviving evidence on Spoorstraat add a later chapter to the older history of the settlement.
The waterways also tell different stories. The Achterste Diep still flows east of Buinen; together with the Voorste Diep, it joins the Hunze. The Voorste Diep also reflects changes brought about by water engineering: it was partly canalised between 1926 and 1930 during the construction of the Kanaal Buinen-Schoonoord. The water landscape thus offers two perspectives in time: the Achterste Diep, which still flows, and the partial canalisation of the Voorste Diep during the construction of the canal from 1926 to 1930.
Horse-riding route and walking trails
For an active outing, the Ruiterroute Hondsrug Buinen is a destination in its own right. It runs through the woods between Borger, Buinen and Exloo and is marked with light-brown square signs bearing a white horseshoe. Follow the markers along the route. Walking trails were laid out at Spoordok in 2005, during a new excavation. This makes it easy to distinguish between the activities: horse riding on the Ruiterroute or walking on the trails laid out at Spoordok.
There is a parking area for horse trailers at Manege Les Chevaux in Buinen, for use with the Ruiterroute. Calling ahead is recommended. If you are travelling with a horse trailer, remember to call before your outing.
Discover more destinations: Valthe, Tweede Exloërmond, Eesergroen, Drouwen, Valthermond, Odoornerveen, Borger, Ees.
For the broader travel overview: Borger-Odoorn.
