In Vledderveen, tangible places of remembrance meet a cultural landscape shaped by peat extraction, land reclamation, and the Colonies of Benevolence. There are also routes with varying itineraries and lengths. If you are planning a stay, you can first decide whether remembrance, settlement history, or the landscape is your main interest.
Places of remembrance and local history
The “Joods monument” is a glacial erratic with a plaque. It commemorates 180 Jewish men who remained at Kamp Vledder from January 1942 until October 2, 1942. The street name Jodenweg is also connected with this history: in 1942, Jewish men from Kamp Vledder carried out road work there. The monument and the street name are two distinct local points of reference for remembering these men.
The history of the landscape extends beyond these sites of remembrance. In 1780, the Heloma brothers from Heerenveen began work on Vledderveen; the area was opened up from Friesland by digging ditches. The impact of human use can be seen in peat extraction, land reclamation, and the Colonies of Benevolence, whose period is given as 1818 to 1824. After 1850, discharged and deserted colonists with many children from Frederiksoord and Wilhelminaoord settled in the moorland and peat area of Vledderveen. These dates trace distinct phases: the early opening up of the area, the colonial period, and later settlement.
Colonial farms and traces in the landscape
The farms bring further chapters of the colonial history to life. The colonial farm Immer Moed covers 20 hectares and was built between 1920 and 1925 to train colonists’ children as farmers. The Werkhorst farm dates from 1914 and was acquired by the Maatschappij van Weldadigheid in 1918. At Werkhorst, the construction date and the acquisition date are thus two separate historical milestones.
Archaeological and geological features are also part of the area’s character. There is a field of burial urns with burial mounds from the Late Bronze Age at Koelingsveld. Several pingo remnants can be found near Vledderveen. The urn field points to an early history of burial, while the pingo remnants offer a different, geological perspective on the landscape.
The area of Vierdeparten in Friesland is also part of the colonial history. There, colonial cottages stand along Oostvierdeparten road. This road runs approximately 200 metres parallel to Grensweg, the provincial border with Friesland. This adds a distinct Frisian point of reference to the stories of Vledderveen.
Routes and practical information
The Ommetje op wielen route leads to Vledderveen, where it follows P.W. Janssenlaan and Werkhorstlaan. Another option is the 17-kilometre Rondje Vledder-Boschoord walking loop: it passes Vledderveen and follows Blauwe Gat on the way back to Vledder. The 57.8-kilometre Route 1 passes the churches of Vledder, Vledderveen, Frederiksoord, Wilhelminaoord, Havelte, and Wapserveen. The routes therefore differ both in itinerary and in their stated distances. Check the current route description before setting out, as route details may change.
For a break, Hoeve De Werkhorst is a rest stop between Vledder, Vledderveen, and Doldersum, near hiking junction 11. Seasonal arrangements may change, so check the latest information in advance if you are planning to stop there.
This way, you can choose your destination based on the topics that interest you most while you are there.
Discover more destinations: Wapse, Vledder, Wapserveen, Diever, Havelte, Nijensleek, Wateren, Oude Willem.
For the wider travel overview: Westerveld.
