National Park The Drentsche Aa National Landscape What is a National Park?

For centuries people thought that space, definition of national parks which was to as a national park, it contains valuable flora water and other natural resources were apply world-wide. and fauna and is well worth a visit. inexhaustible. As the world population grew, people increasingly exploited areas of The main aim in creating national parks is to In the Netherlands national parks are previously untouched nature. They cut down protect large natural areas and landscapes, designated by the Minister of Agriculture, trees to make way for farming. They hunted and the species of flora and fauna they Nature and Food Quality. A national park and kept animals in the surviving woodlands contain. Secondary aims include has been designated for all the landscapes and forests. These woodlands gradually environmental education, nature-related which are characteristically Dutch. A national diminished in area. They were replaced by recreation and scientific research. park is administered by a consultative body cultural landscapes which may look fairly Nowadays national parks can be found in representing owners, managers and natural, but in fact bear little relation to the practically every country in Europe. administrators. The provincial council original, unadulterated state. Altogether they offer their visitors an overview provides the secretariat. of the great variety of the wildlife and The Ministry of Agriculture, Nature and Food The first misgivings about these developments landscapes of Europe. Quality contributes a good deal to the costs of were felt in the USA. They led in 1871 to the administration and maintenance, and creation of Yellowstone as the first national The Dutch national parks fit well into the information and education within the park in the world. In 1909 Sweden was the European network. In 1969 the Netherlands national park. first country in Europe to create a national signed international agreements concerning park. Many other countries followed suit. the establishment of valuable nature reserves In 1969 in response to the very different as national parks. The Dutch nature reserves motives for designating national parks, the may be relatively small, but often contain International Union for the Conservation of valuable ecosystems rarely found elsewhere, Nature and Natural Resources (IUCN), an such as dunes, peat bogs, and heathland. You agency of the United Nations, formulated a can safely assume that if an area is designated 2 3 Welcome to the Drentsche Aa National Landscape

The landscape of the northern province of National Landscape in 2002. Through it much as it always has done through a rich Drenthe is an ancient one, with human meanders a stream, the Drentsche Aa, variety of traditional, unspoilt landscapes. settlement going back thousands of years. from which the National Landscape derives The Drentsche Aa National The outstanding cultural and natural its name. Fed by several tributaries, the Landscape, a stream valley with typical es values here led to the area’s designation as Drentsche Aa follows its natural course villages, is incorporated in the system of

Landscape formed between 200,000 took place on the essen sites waste water into the Drentsche Aa at in Vrij Nederland jects for water quality, sustainable Drentshe Aa National Landscape and 50,000 years ago 1000 years ago: villages and essen Assen and into Rolderdiep 1991 first report on recreation in agriculture, recreation and traffic, and completed Saalian glacial stage (approximately already created in their present loca- 1962 end of reclamation of waste Drentsche Aa stream valley nature and landscape. This plan 2002 creation of the Drentsche Aa 370,000 – 130,000 years ago) tions land announced in Queen’s Speech 1991 National Forest Service report marked a shift in the water boards’ National Landscape Weichselian glacial stage (approxi- Roman Era (12 BC to AD 450) gold 1965 conservation plan for Drentsche on drying out and ecological study thinking and working with regard to 2002 launch of website mately 115,000 – 10,000 years ago) coins: finds from the 2nd and 4th cen- Aa stream valley, published by Nation- 1993 hydrological and ecological environmental matters. www.drentscheaa.nl turies al Forest Service advisory section study report for management purpos- 1995 National Forest Service man- 2003 First official Drentsche Aa Archaeological periods Middle Ages (AD 450 - 1500): 1970 Pollution of Surface Waters Act es agement plan and spatial plan for guides trained Palaeolithic and Mesolithic (300,000 cart tracks from ancient trading routes in force, establishment of Drenthe 1993 National Forest Service report Drentsche Aa stream valley 2003 Recreational access and mobili- to 4900 BC) the first bridges at most important water purification board on management and policy 1995 Regional vision for nature, forest ty plan for the Drentsche Aa National Neolithic (5300 to 2000 BC) fording places of streams 1972 Reparcellation of land Rolde- 1994 Structure Plan for the Rural and landscape in the Drentse Aa by Landscape Funnel beaker culture (3400 – Anloo area Areas in the Netherlands resulted in Ministry of Agriculture, Nature Devel- 2003 Installation of working group on 2800 BC) 19th century: 1886 Mark Law, start of 1973 Amendment of regional plan for more money becoming available for opment and Fisheries education, communication and recre- Bronze Age (2000 to 800 BC) division of common lands nature and recreation for Drentsche land purchase, development and man- 1997 All sewerage water discharge ation including Middle Bronze Age (1800 Aa stream valley agement of rural area and reorienta- points in area removed: water quality 2004 Landscape Vision to 1100 BC) 20th century: 1974 end of discharge of untreated tion of agriculture. improved. 2004 Integral survey of regional Iron Age (800 BC to AD 12) 1955 First nature and landscape waste water from slaughterhouse 1995 ROM/WCL-project Drentse Aa & opportunities report on Drentsche Aa stream valley Udema in ‘t Andersche diepje Elperstroom Implementation of Struc- 21st century: 2004 Plan for visitors’ information 2000 years ago: farming already 1960 end of discharge of untreated 1982 special newspaper supplement ture Plan for the Rural Areas with pro- 2002 BIO-plan, regional plan for the network

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BC BC BC BC BC BC BC 00 3 2 4 500 886 000 00 00 10.0 7. 5.0004.000 3.000 2.000 1.0 00 0 1 1900 1955 1960 1962 1965 1970 1972 1974 1982 1991 199 1995 1997 2 2 2

4 r park onifers ycle track ourist Office C Information Hunebed Mill Ca Sheep pen T Horeca Church tower Mixed stand C Broadleaves Heathland Pasture and arable fields Poor soils water KEY TO SYMBOLS

5 Natural development national parks in the Netherlands. In the Geological history management, planning and development In the Drentsche Aa National Landscape, of this area, consideration is given to the narrow streams meander through wide, specific needs of nature and the landscape, shallow ‘valleys’ vaguely reminiscent of but also to agriculture, recreation, local floodplains. In order to understand how inhabitants and visitors, water manage- this landscape arose, we must dive briefly ment and cultural heritage. into its geological history. The Drentsche Aa stream system At the end of the Saalian glacial stage, flows from central Drenthe to the outskirts about 150,000 years ago, glacial run-off of the city of Groningen (SSE to NNW). For carved deep gullies, which later filled with practical reasons, however, the National sand and peat. The advancing ice sheet also Landscape is currently limited to the area pushed up ridges of ground moraine in the between Assen, Glimmen and Gieten. low-lying land. Much later again, small Access to this unique and diverse area is streams meandered over the flat, peaty excellent. lowlands on their way to the sea. As the sea level fell, the streams flowed more rapidly, carving deeper and deeper channels roughly following the same SSE to NNW course as Loonerdiep and Oudemolensche diep got the ground moraine ridges. The streams their current course, which cuts ‘through’ deposited cover sands on the ground the ridges of Zeijen, Rolde and Tynaarlo. moraine plateaus between the stream Many small bog beds developed in the old valleys. Shifting sands actually blocked watercourses that had been blocked. Many some watercourses, altering their path to thousands of years later, these bogs became the sea. That is how the Deurzerdiep, sites for peat extraction. 6 War memorial Eext The cover sands started to form system of streams and lowland brooks shifting sand dunes. There are still which flow into the Drentsche Aa. The stretches of bare sand in the Drentsche Aa Drentsche Aa actually comprises many region, such as at Balloërveld. At the streams and watercourses, each with its Gasterensche Duinen, Zeegser Duinen and own spring and catchment area. The hydro- Anloër Strubben, the shape of shifting sand logical system as a whole has an area of dunes is still recognisable despite having 10,600 ha. This does not include the become overgrown over the centuries by springs further to the south, nor the down- heather and trees. Tree plantations were stream broads to the north of the National started here in previous centuries to stop Landscape. Since water is a determining the shifting sand from engulfing farms and factor in all these regions, however, there is villages. close cooperation on policy measures and The region thus has sandy, peaty and spatial planning. loamy soils, but no layers of rock. Despite The Drentsche Aa falls 21 metres this absence of sedimentary rock, Drenthe region have always found good uses for from its highest point, near Grolloo, to the is known as one of the rockier parts of the these rocks and boulders, from the mega- lowest point in Groningen: enough for a Netherlands. Large boulders from lithic tombs of prehistoric settlers to current but not for a bubbling beck. The Scandinavia and the Gulf of Bothnia were modern uses as war memorials, garden various streams and watercourses follow a carried into the area by the enormous decoration, border posts and surface meandering course through broad, peaty glaciers, wrapped as it were in the loamy material for farm and forestry tracks. valleys. This is typical of the Drentsche Aa ground moraine. Most of these loose rocks landscape. In other parts of the and boulders are granite. They lie below the Water as a shaping force Netherlands, meandering streams have surface, although originally they were The Drentsche Aa National Landscape is been straightened to ensure a standard spread over the surface. Inhabitants of this generally regarded as a fairly pristine rate of water drainage. 7 Seep The streams are fed by springs and characteristic of the Drentsche Aa. The ground seepage as well as precipitation. water that enters the Drentsche Aa system Seepage water usually has a fairly constant from underground aquifers can be very old temperature of between 8 and 10 degrees and has made a long journey through Celsius. In a cold winter, seepage sites can underground streams before rising back up be recognised by the patches of brown to the surface. This ancient water is free of slush on white snow or ice cover. modern pollutants and rich in minerals The fact that the stream system has such as iron, which makes the water rust- several sources is the second typical coloured. For over a hundred years, the towns of Groingen, Haren, Eelde and Paterswolde have taken their drinking water from the Drentsche Aa catchment area. Due to the unique characteristics of this stream system, the banks and neigh- bouring fields have a rich, unique flora. The National Forest Service has carried out a careful programme of nature conservation and management here since the 1960s. Water management is an important aspect of this.

8 Human influences Taarlo village green A characteristic man-made landscape The Drentsche Aa region has a long history of settlement. Prehistoric peoples settled near sources of water, either streams or lakes. The first farmsteads in the area also cropped up along watercourses. Traces of early settlement can still be found both above and below the soil surface. A 2004 heritage inventory reported that the man- made landscape here is formed by archaeo- logical remnants, villages and individual buildings. The report continued: “Not only is this one of the most characteristic and unspoilt examples of an es village an important European landscape. Over landscape in Drenthe, it is also one of the the centuries, everything developed here most unspoilt sandy soil landscapes in all was interwoven with each other: the of the northwest European lowlands. In the villages and hamlets, the road infrastruc- Pleistocene landscapes of Belgium, the ture, the cultivated lands (from the open Netherlands, Germany and Denmark, it is fields, essen, on higher ground to the groen- difficult to find another sandy soil landen or water meadows), the peat extrac- landscape which historical stratification is tion sites and major churches. And in this so complete and is preserved in such same systematic way, everything is still detail.” interconnected today. The fortified houses In other words, the Drentsche Aa is of the gentry along the lower course of the 9 Strandduizenguldenkruid Wheel ruts in Ballooërveld villagers take their walks in the same setting and use the same paths as their predecessors so long ago. Many of our roads also follow the old routes. The N34 national road is only a stone’s throw away from medieval cart tracks. The historical secondary routes between villages are largely intact, too. The junction of five roads in Schipborg, for example, is very old. In this region of streams and watercourses, there were of course many fords, from small fords through which farmers accessed their land to major fords on important routes between trading and political centres. The Drentsche Aa fall outside the boundaries of regularly to a better situation. The latter were replaced by bridges from the the National Landscape but are neverthe- abandoned homestead site was put under Middle Ages onwards. These bridges were less a natural part of the stream valley. crops. About a thousand years ago, as the often built at the ford sites. villages became larger, settlers stopped For centuries, deep-litter livestock Harmony between the old and the new relocating their farms. The locations of the farming was the economic backbone of the The sites of the essen were already being villages and essen became permanent sites. es villages. Each village had its own flock of farmed some two thousand years ago. The essen that remain today give evidence sheep that grazed daily on the sandy soil Houses were built on stilts and made of of these ancient settlements. Past and heaths. At the end of the afternoon, the light materials, as the farmers moved present merge in other ways, too. Today’s shepherd returned with the common flock 10 and put the sheep in their pens for the afforestation. Much afforestation was night. The manure collected in these pens carried out by the National Forest Service, was used to fertilise the es lands. There although private land owners also played a was a natural balance between arable land, role. The woodland estates of Terborgh, hay land (near the streams), the number of Heidehof and Kniphorstbosch, for livestock (manure producers) and the area instance, were all planted by timber of heath for grazing. merchants. Some of the heaths were kept The introduction of chemical for military exercises by regiments fertiliser in the 19th century caused the stationed in the area. These expansive collapse of this mixed farming system. heaths are now nature reserves. Some Sheep flocks and heaths lost their heaths (50 Bunder, Balloërveld) also economic function. The heaths were contain reminders of more recent history: claimed for agricultural cultivation or the “Assener Stellungen” of the Second World War, for example, which comprises a tank moat running zigzag through the area Balloo sheep herd and trenches with gun emplacements.

11 Traces from the past

Thousands of archaeological sites soil compaction give a fair picture of the of stone axes, point to Neolithic habitation. The Drentsche Aa stream valley boasts different periods of habitation. Flint tools The most visible evidence of human more than 3500 archaeological sites. As a and hearth pits date from Mesolithic and habitation are the hunebeds. Ascribed to rule in archaeology, much of the prehistoric Paleolithic times, when nomadic hunter- the funnel beaker culture, they are mega- material lies dead and buried underground. gatherer tribes collected at places where lithic tombs consisting of large stones Visible archaeological remains such as the there was water. The picture is less clear for (megaliths) set in formation and originally hunebeds, burial mounds and tumulus the Neolithic period, although burial covered with earth or more, smaller stones. chambers are evidence of a rich past. The mounds and flat graves tell us where In many cases, the covering has been recent digs in Midlaren brought to light people lived. This is the period that people weathered away leaving only the stone that there are many more as yet undiscov- first began to settle and cultivate the soil. skeleton of the monument. Given their ered treasures hidden away in bog beds, However, no floorplans of houses have character and the way they are arranged, under the essen of villages, and on the been found in this region. But stores of people now believe that they were more narrow sand ridges near some streams. valuable artefacts dating from this period, than just burial chambers. The more so, as The digs, finds and measurements of such as funnel beaker pottery and a couple in later periods burial mounds were erected in their vicinity. Twenty-five hune- beds or what is left of them, have been found in the Drentsche Aa stream valley. In former centuries some of them were taken apart and the stone used for road construc- tion or the reinforcement of dykes and embankments.

Prehistoric farmers Hunebed in Loon As the Stone Age gave way to the Bronze 12 Es in Gasteren and Iron Ages, farming became increas- ingly important. Celtic fields, squarish to rectangular enclosed plots, go back to the middle of the Bronze Age. Some twenty of these have been identified on aerial photos of the region. These plots might also have contained farmsteads that stood there for one generation. Remains of Bronze Age homesteads and floor plans have been found in the stream valley, as well as burial mounds and fields of burial urns, side by side. Their location near through-roads would suggest the choice of location was no coincidence. late Iron Age. Over the centuries, many of buried, a custom that continued up to the There are also features typical of the these ancient territorial village structures early Middle Ages. Farms also had features Iron Age is this ancient landscape, such as have prevailed, so that a village walk today pointing to Roman influence. A wealthy the dozens of pyre sites, small man-made takes us through more than two thousand elite in this region must have been in hills over places where the dead were years of history. contact with Roman communities further cremated. The most well-known sites are in The Iron Age climate allowed existing south. Silver and gold coins have been Tumulibosch near Balloo and on peatlands to expand rapidly. From this found in the area dating from the 2nd to 4th Kampsheide. Recent literature suggests period date the long peat bridges, walking centuries. Valuable Roman artefacts have that each settlement had its own arrange- paths made from tree trunks placed on the been found on the edge of peatlands and in ment of pyre sites, implying the existence peat. The subsequent Roman period had bogs. Such votive offerings were common of territorial structures as far back as the its graves where the ashes of the dead were in many villages. 13 Rolde Mark stones and church towers boundaries, as some still do today. The From historic times date the documents current structure of es villages was already and stones with inscriptions. The latter defined in the Middle Ages, so too was the were often mark stones, indicating the use of grasslands near streams, fields and boundary between common lands. In open heathland as pasture land for grazing country, burial mounds served the same cattle. purpose (later they were also used as Christianity was introduced in gallows hills). But usually, small water- Drenthe in the 8th century. The first courses and brooks served as natural churches, small and built entirely of wood, th th Mark stone date from the 9 century. From the 11 century, churches were built of brick or tuff (such as those in Anloo, Vries and Eelde), a relatively soft and light volcanic material that was imported from the Eifel region. The dead were now buried in church crypts or in the churchyard, although some were still buried (illegally perhaps) in the old burial mounds or burial fields. The first communities here were kerspels (parish communities),which came under the authority of dingspels the larger administrative districts (ding means court) There are still dingspel churches in Anloo, Vries and Rolde. The churches could be 14 reached by church paths that had right of way across other people’s land. These footpaths still exist. When the lands were reparcelled under the 19th century Mark Law, it was done in a pie chart pattern. The pattern is still visible in Rolde where the church tower was used as the pivot from which the lanes between the fields radiated out.

15 Focus on water

In recent years, water authorities have Assen municipality to stop discharging its flow be directed into waterways untreated. taken the lead in giving water the role it untreated waste water into the Drentsche Agriculture is also cleaning up its act. used to have in the landscape. Water will Aa. Dairy factories in the neighbourhood Millions have been invested in dedicated again perform its natural role in the system also discharged their waste water directly filling and washing facilities, so farmers of small streams and watercourses. In the to nearby brooks and streams. Now most washing manure storage tanks at a handy past, inundated banks were drained of these discharge points have gone. Only spot near the water is now a thing of the quickly; farmers did not like to see the when sewage systems overflow may excess past. There are also no-spray zones near banks stay wet for too long or their lands watercourses. The land along watercourses flooded. Seeing their hay drifting away on is increasingly used only for mowing and the currents time and again, they started to grazing. straighten out some of the meandering The availability of water is also an streams and dug drainage channels (there issue. Land is drying out and measures are is one near Loon). But as farming practices being taken to counteract this. changed, hay lands reverted to the Groundwater levels are raised, ditches are National Forest Service. Now the streams filled in. At the same time, excess quanti- and their adjacent banks have moved up ties of water need to be stored. In the the list of priorities. The streams are once 1990s the fringe of a village, an urban more allowed to meander. Weirs will neighbourhood and a hospital further disappear and ox-bows and deep, slow downstream suddenly found themselves in moving current areas with their fish and the wet-feet zone. To improve water wildlife will come back, as will the fords. retention in the upstream area, water The quality of the water is important authorities, municipal and provincial and has a history of its own. In the 1950s, authorities, nature managers and other the Groningen Water Company urged parties downstream of the National 16 Fish ladder may take in the excess water from the Aa to prevent too much water from reaching the city of Groningen. Finally, a study will be made into the long-term feasibility of drinking water extraction in the Aa catchment area without irreversible damage to natural values. Water is a source of life for humans, animals and plants. The National Landscape and its partners therefore organise dozens of nature and cultural projects every year. Water authorities as managers of water quality and quantity play a big role in this.

Landscape joined forces and decided to dig polders of ‘Oosterland’ and ‘Lappenvoort’ a link underneath the canal separating the near Eelde-Paterswolde) from its mouth at old course of the Aa (through the peat the Noordwillemskanaal. The two polders 17 Nature and landscape management

Flora and fauna State and not by the people using it. This The ecological variety and scenic beauty of produced a lot of unrest in the community: this area is a result of ages of traditional the plan was far ahead of its time, but it farming and the conditions of soil, water came in the nick of time to save nature and and climate. The natural beauty of the area the landscape. Farmers were given the has always been a salient feature: as early as opportunity to sell their lands to the Land 1955, a report was published on the natural Management Service to be sold on to the beauty and biological importance of the National Forest Service. Drentsche Aa stream valley. But at the same In the years that it has managed the time, from the 1940s to the 1960s, major area, the National Forest Service has land improvement programmes were being developed great expertise in the ecological carried out for the benefit of modern agri- management of short vegetation. This has culture. A more efficient parcelling of land resulted in nutrient-poor grasslands with and watercourses threatened to spell the orchid, yellow rattle, marsh marigold, black end for natural development. Luckily, this dark scenario was never realised. In fact, of all the natural water systems in the Netherlands, that of the Drentsche Aa catchment area has remained relatively unspoilt. This can be attributed largely to a publication by the National Forest Service in 1965 which effectively constituted a plea to turn the area into a large nature reserve, to be paid for by the 18 rampion, bog bean, lousewort, rare species and hedgebanks provide habitats for such of sedge and so on. On some of the heath- birds as golden oriole, hobby, yellow lands near brook springs, yellow centuary bunting and bullfinch. From time to time and pillwort are thriving again. the elusive osprey and hen harrier can be In the water we find dace, ide, stone seen here. Meadow birds have become loach and river lamprey, all characteristic of rare, as elsewhere in the Netherlands, but unpolluted streams and rivers. Lampreys the stork nest in Taarlo was occupied in are some of the most primitive vertebrates 2004. alive today. They are jawless, having Private landowners, particularly landscape and its cultural heritage. The instead a round sucker-like mouth. Adults farmers, are showing more interest in vision can be summarised as follows: migrate to the sea and return to freshwater nature management. Subsidised nature 1. an integrated approach should be to spawn. Dragonflies hover over the water management involves the protection of adopted: everything is closely linked up like tiny helicopters with the banded certain target species which include marsh with everything else; demoiselle stealing the show. Trees, groves gentian, broad leaved marsh orchid, yellow 2. the landscape should be made more marsh marigold and tawny sedge but also interesting by creating vistas, more meadow buttercup, ragged robin or daisy. variety, more contrast; 3. the landscape is dynamic: it should not Drentsche Aa Landscape vision be preserved as a museum; The comprehensive vision for nature and 4. quality should be a first priority in landscape management in the Drentsche planning decisions (new housing devel- Aa National Landscape also embraces opments); harmonisation with the area’s cultural 5. historic layers in the landscape should heritage. In landscape development, the become more visible to help us under- 2004 vision builds on the existing stand how the landscape with its 19 With this vision as a basis and a little bit of luck, the Drentsche Aa National Landscape will see at least another hundred years.

hunebeds, burial mounds, cart trails, fords, dingspel churches and church paths has evolved; 6.drastic changes must not be made except in areas which were already completely overhauled in the past; 7. restraint is needed in the construction and design of facilities. Simplicity is what the area needs; 8. borders and transitions (e.g. between field and stream valley) should be made more natural. 20 Perspective for Agriculture

Farming for the future here that further intensification and The official management and development expansion can only take place on a small plan for the area, BIO plan 2002, describes scale. But this very closeness to the the Drentsche Aa National Landscape as a landscape also provides farmers with new predominantly man-made landscape in opportunities. Functions can be combined what was once a woodland area with bogs and farmers can take up a stewardship and streams. Agriculture has always played role. an important role in this region: the For successful farmers who want to landscape was, after all, created by tradi- expand their businesses, relocation may be tional farming. But traditional farming has an option. Farmers who cannot bear to had to make way for modern farming. leave their beloved region may consider There are still some 100 farms in the reparcelling. They may turn to the Land region, mainly arable farmers or land using Development Committee, a body of land livestock producers. Half of the Drentsche brokers advising farmers in National Aa National Landscape is farmland and the Landscapes. This works reasonably well. challenge lies in keeping modern manage- But farmers may also decide to branch out ment and the landscape in harmony. into new areas like outdoor recreation or Agriculture is, and will remain, the tourism. Many farmers offer farmhouse core primary industry in the region. But bed-and-breakfast or farm-based holidays. where once the Boermarke decided on Some have widened their business matters agricultural, now the fate of horizons to provide valuable services for farmers is largely in the hands of Brussels locals and visitors alike. Others have joined and world trade policy. However, agricul- forces in sustainable farming projects, ture is so interwoven with the landscape such as two groups of farmers near Rolde 21 and Zuidlaren. Farmers can also choose to combine farming with nature management projects, such as the cooperative of part- time and hobby farmers who combine farming, nature management and outdoor recreation. Clearly, then, there is a role for farming in the Drentsche Aa National Landscape. This was underscored in the spring of 2004 when the National Forest Service entered into a management contract with a group of farmers for the first time in its existence.

22 Living Anloo Traditional villages and new housing The Drentsche Aa stream valley has been inhabited since the hunebed builders kept cattle here some 5000 years ago. The basic village structure was already in place in 100 BC. The original pattern of dwellings and farms was similar for all settlements, being based on agricultural exploitation. During the Middle Ages, smaller settlements – only one or two farms at first – began to develop outside the main villages. Kamps in the Balloo mark is an example and so was Lantinge, which has now disappeared. After that, things remained relatively stable until in the second half of the 20th century when farming ceased to be the main source of income here. The region became more prosperous and with prosperity came mobility. It was no longer necessary to live ments on the fringe of villages, which became commuter villages. and work in the same place and the tradi- resulted in bland, uniform new neighbour- At the end of the twentieth century, tional es villages saw an influx of people hoods. They were often built on the green- more variety in residential architecture was who worked in the towns and cities of the field sites of essen, kampen and veld- introduced. But these new developments region (particularly Groningen and Assen). gronden. Many villages on the edges of became a visual intrusion. Suddenly, on The 1960s saw new housing develop- what is now the National Landscape the edges of old, sleepy es villages, 23 conspicuous new housing developments appeared. This had come to a halt by the end of the twentieth century, when people began to re-appreciate the value of beautiful landscapes and their surround- ings, and liveability became the dominant theme. In many villages, inhabitants and community councils now work on more harmonious residential development plans that respect the character of local land- scapes and focus on liveability and the region’s cultural heritage. These new resi- dential development plans can only be realised with the cooperation and funding of local authorities. The comprehensive vision for nature and landscape management in the Drentsche Aa National Landscape includes such new residential development plans. The form, pattern and detailing of these plans should make a positive contribution to the sustainability of settlements and communities.

24 Nature and cultural heritage

Outdoor recreation and tourism Groningen and the towns in the peat instance, was a dredged fen with a strip of Outdoor recreation and the enjoyment of district. People from Assen took the train sand in a meander of Schipborgerdiep. In leisure time, only goes back half a century. to Rolde, which had a restaurant with a summer, the land-owner hired a pool The Dutch first saw the Saturday off in popular playground. From there people attendant to keep an eye on bathers. Mr 1962 although the five-day working week went to the Balloërkuil and the hunebeds Fennema was a famous character. He did did not become official until 1975. Another after which they took the train back to his job in an immaculate tropical suit and effect of greater prosperity was that people town. Assen tourist office published hat and had an air of great authority. began to buy cars and motor bikes and they brochures commending the excellent Nobody knew whether he could actually flocked to the woods, heaths, rivers or walks, woodlands and cycle paths. swim himself… The pools near Tynaarlo lakes to spend their newly gained leisure In the 1930s, natural pools were very which had resulted from sand extraction time. popular. Bad Evenhuis, near Schipborg, for for the new railway that was being built, The first tourists in the Drentsche Aa area were day-trippers who came to see the sights or stroll in the woods. The woodland near Assen, with its star-like pattern of paths and stately homes was a popular destination for ‘townies’. So was the De Braak estate near Paterswolde. The old maze and chain bridge were great attrac- tions here. Visitors had to buy a map and 58,717 copies were sold in 1925 alone. Further to the south lies Zeegse which, with its heath and sand drifts, has always been popular with people from Ballooërveld sand drifts 25 were popular for swimming and boating. the characteristic landscape structure. In Small cafés and pavilions cropped up 1977, a time when long-distance walking at popular natural sites. Hotel Duinoord in routes were being planned throughout the Zeegse, the Drentsche Aa Café in Netherlands, the National Forest Service Schipborg and the Appèlbergen restaurant mapped out the first walking routes in the near Glimmen all date from this era. Drentsche Aa area. Six new routes were Wherever there was an opportunity, people drawn up in 1989. built small cabins or summer houses. A A 1991 survey showed that the group of railway workers built their number of day visitors to the area had summer cabins near Okkenveen. reached 1 million per year. Visitors come in Campsites became popular, too. These search of ‘quiet, nature and the landscape’. campsites were concentrated around Many arrive by car and then go cycling or Zuidlaren, Zeegse and Schipborg. In the Outdoor recreation: research and infor- walking. Visitors are pleased with what they 1930s, farmer Glas in Schipborg was the mation find: three-quarters of them find the simple first to let people to pitch their tents in his Apart from the traditional Tourist Office recreational facilities quite sufficient. In field. By this time, outdoor recreation had brochure there was little to guide or inform March 2002 a study by the Royal Dutch moved beyond day trips. The Drentsche Aa visitors. The National Forest Service Touring Club noted a new demand for had been discovered. started a pilot in 1972 with two temporary provisions for mountain bikers and in-line Tourists were not the first ‘outsiders’ discovery trails in the area. A year later, the skaters. to discover the area, though. Artists had Provincial Council adopted a new regional come before them and had settled in plan for nature and recreation and decided Outdoor recreation and tourism as Anloo, Zeegse en Schipborg. that recreation should focus on day visits economic factors and the conservation of ecological diversity Outdoor recreation and tourism are a and the conservation and rehabilitation of major source of income for the people 26 living in the Drentsche Aa National Landscape. The BIO plan applauds the use made of the area’s economic potential. New innovative projects are launched in which farmers, local authorities, nature managers and businesses work together to improve infrastructure and the quality of facilities. A recreational mobility plan aims to resolve current mobility problems. Quality is a first priority. Everyone is welcome in the Drentsche Aa National Landscape as long as they show respect for the countryside.

27 Communication and Education

An innovation: national landscape, rather possible, profit from its revenues. At the than national park same time, visitors must have all the infor- Good communication is a precondition for mation they need to enjoy the area to the a working National Landscape. The local full. population in the Drentsche Aa region This National Landscape has already must feel affinity with the project and, if made a name for itself. The government originally had plans to designate the Drentsche Aa as a national park. Local feelings about the plan were first tested at village meetings, but the local community was not prepared to subject everything to the needs of nature management and rejected the national park plan outright. Clearly, an alternative had to be found. The planning committee decided to recommend an alternative to the Minister, in the form of what has now become the National Landscape. The National Landscape was incorporated into legisla- tion on national parks, by adding an excep- tional clause to the area objectives, to include agriculture as well as nature. This new approach had far-reaching Excursion effects. The National Forest Service, as 28 largest owner of nature areas, had to learn and education also had to change to to deal with the broader objectives for the include the local community. area. Landscape, cultural heritage and There is a website recreation were given more weight in area www.drentscheaa.nl , a newsletter policy. A number of strictly defined nature Doorstroom for the local community and an objectives were criticised openly, which information brochure Op Stap for visitors. was difficult to accept after 40 years of There are excursions and walks, and good management. But recreation was special activities can be arranged for already an important activity. groups. New cycle tracks, footpaths and The consultative platform asked the bridleways will be constructed, as well National Forest Service to lead the develop- other sporting routes. ment of the Drentsche Aa National Landscape. The Service developed and The visitors’ information network organised the first courses for the In national parks, it is standard practice to Drentsche Aa guides. This group was put have one central, manned visitors’ centre. through a rigorous programme including This functions as the hub for information landscape history, cultural history, nature and education about the area. In the many villages which can serve as a starting management and rural architecture as well Drentsche Aa National Landscape a point for visits and excursions, and a great as the art and literature of the area. The different approach has been taken: a deal of knowledge rests within these local information and education package has visitors’ information network. There is no communities. This means that the task of now been broadened. Agricultural develop- one large building serving as visitors’ information and education can be distrib- ments are as important as architectural centre. Unlike traditional national parks uted over the villages and hamlets, and can style and nature education in stream valley with thousands of hectares of nature, the be coordinated locally under regional landscapes. The form of the information Drentsche Aa National Landscape has direction. Farmers, nature managers, local 29 businesses and societies as well as cultural instance. The annual re-creation of a sitting heritage organisations will all have their of the ancient court, the Etstoel in Anloo, in place in the network. It is a huge task to which the whole village participates, also organise this network, but in theory, fits well into this scheme. visitors will be able to find information, “Conservation through regeneration” will excursions and education throughout the be the motto used in communication and area instead of in one building. In the end, education, to reflect both the history and these investments will be sure to benefit future of the Drentsche Aa National the local national landscape communities. Landscape. The system is currently being developed, again using public meetings for the local population. The existing unmanned infor- mation centres at Anloo and Balloo fit into this scheme and will be improved. In addition to the visitors’ informa- tion network, the Drentsche Aa think-tank also came up with the idea of creating a electronic information points, for instance at the edge of the National Landscape, and a mobile form of communication, education and culture. The Drentsche Aa- Rangers, cultural societies and drama clubs could all be involved in this scheme, in setting up historical pageants, for 30 Useful addresses

General information: Local area information

Secretariat of the Drentsche Aa Nationaal National Forest Service: Staatsbosbeheer Vereniging van Drentse Boermarken Landscape Balloo Postbus 170 Provinciehuis Drenthe, Postbus 122, Balloo 67, 9458 TB, Balloo 9400 AD Assen 9400 AC ASSEN, +31 592 248984 + 31 592 311721 Visitors: Westerbrink 1, Assen www.staatsbosbeheer.nl +31 592 365864 Ministry of Defence [email protected] Staatsbosbeheer Oudemolen Dienst Gebouwen Werken en Terreinen, www.drentscheaa.nl Molensteeg 2 Directie noord 9484 TE Oudemolen Postbus 40184 Communication, information and + 31 592 231307 8004 DD Zwolle education: + 31 38 4572300 Stichting Het Drentse Landschap www.dgwt.nl IVN Consulentschap Drenthe Postbus 83 Postbus 125, 9400 AC Assen, 9400 AB Assen +31 592 371740 +31 592 313552 [email protected] www.drentslandschap.nl www.ivn-drenthe.nl

31 Colofon

Published by: Ministry of Agriculture, Nature and Food Quality Department of Nature in collaboration with the Drentsche Aa National landscape

Editing: André Brasse and Kees Folkertsma Text: Bureau TPRO/Jan Tuttel Photos: André Brasse, Agnes Bakker and Staatsbosbeheer

Design: Studio Dumbar Printed by : Den Haag Offset BV

Summer 2005