Get to know Helenaveen through three distinct themes: peat extraction, its protected village setting and the remnants of the raised bog landscape in Deurnese Peel and Mariapeel. The routes also offer different experiences: one walking route has a specified length, the poetry route connects Helenaveen and Neerkant, and a cycling route passes through the Peel areas. This lets you decide in advance whether to focus your trip on cultural history, walking or cycling.
Peat extraction and historical traces
In 1853, Helena Panis’ husband Jan van de Griendt and his brother Nicolaas bought 610 hectares of raised bog in Helenaveen for peat extraction. The work on the peatland is also reflected in the so-called three-pronged system: three small canals, called wijken or wieken, flowed into a side canal built parallel to the Helenavaart. This was directly connected to the main canal, allowing peat, used as fuel, to be transported away by ship.
A later architectural trace is the koningshoeven. Between 1908 and 1920, nine large, monumental farms were built along the Helenavaart; they were established by the Maatschappij Helenaveen. The purchase of the raised bog in 1853 and the construction of the farms just over five decades later are different milestones in the village’s history: the former concerns the acquisition of peatland for peat extraction, while the latter concerns the row of farms along the canal.
Village setting, church and places of art
A large part of Helenaveen’s village centre has been designated a protected village setting by the Dutch state. The Protestant hall church is part of a church complex. Together, the village setting and the church offer insight into Helenaveen’s architectural and cultural themes, without being equated with the history of the peat canals.
On the edge of Helenaveen, a work of art marks the site where the Gouden Helm was found. It was created by the artist Joep Coppens from Vlierden and is located at the corner of Oude Peelstraat and Centurioweg. Its precise location helps you identify the marked site.
Mijmerplek Helenaveen is located where a koningshoeve once stood. It includes a former house pit that has been excavated again, a restored orchard with fruit trees and a walnut tree, an information board, a bench and a work of art. Peeltroef Helenaveen offers a different view of the landscape: from there, you can look out over the new landscape that emerged after agricultural use ended. Peeltroef is one of the special places in and around De Peel that together tell its story, focusing on peat, war and raised bog.
Walking and cycling in the Peel landscape
Deurnese Peel and Mariapeel preserve remnants of the once extensive raised bog landscape around the former peat colonies of Griendtsveen and Helenaveen. Together, they form a distinctive natural area for walking. The Deurnese- en Mariapeel walking route is 7.7 kilometres long and starts at the Mariapeel car park at Koolweg 36a in Helenaveen. As route details may be updated, check the information before setting off.
The Helenaveen-Neerkant poetry route starts in Helenaveen, passes through the rural area of Helenaveen to Neerkant, and returns to Helenaveen. There are poems at four locations along the way. The Death Valley De Peel cycling route offers another perspective: it passes through Deurnese Peel and Mariapeel, as well as Griendtsveen, Helenaveen and Neerkant, and is connected with 75 years of liberation. The two routes have different emphases: the walking route specifies a distance and starting point, while the cycling route links landscapes and places with the context of liberation.
Discover more destinations: Liessel, Neerkant, Deurne.
Return to the main travel overview: Deurne.
