Colonies of Weldadigheid

Trial colony Frederiksoord - A special and impressive story

It is 1818 and the Netherlands is 'on fire'. Napoleon has left our country as the 'Kingdom of the Poor'. The socially committed general Johannes van den Bosch comes to the rescue with an ambitious plan to fight poverty in our country by founding agricultural colonies. This is the beginning of the influential history of the Maatschappij van Weldadigheid.

The first to be established is the Trial Colony Frederiksoord. At this site in south-west Drenthe, 52 farms are ready to receive the poor townspeople. Here they can count on work and shelter in exchange for labour on the land. Children are obliged to go to school and there is an egen sickness fund.
With these social amenities, the Society of Weldadigheid is 80 years ahead of the rest of the Netherlands and is thus considered the cradle of our welfare state.

Highlights Colonies of Weldadigheid - Don't miss this

  • Museum de Proefkolonie - Frederiksoord

    Visit Museum the Trial Colony and follow in the footsteps of the very first settlers. You will discover their stories through a multimedia tour, fun for young and old alike!

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    Museum de Proefkolonie - Frederiksoord

  • Colony cottage - Frederiksoord

    Welcome to the distinctive Colony House of the Society of Weldadigheid. A total of 430 colony houses stood in this area. This Colony House in Frederiksoord can be visited together with the Colony School and is part of the Outdoor Museum of the Colonies of Weldadigheid.

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    Colony cottage - Frederiksoord

  • Colony school - Frederiksoord

    Frederiksoord's first Colony School was part of the central buildings, which stood at the heart of the pilot colony, next to the soup kitchen. This Colony Schoolhouse can be visited together with the Colony House and is part of the outdoor museum of the Colonies of Weldadigheid.

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    Colony school - Frederiksoord

  • Colony church - Wilhelminaoord

    From 1818, church duty existed for colony residents. With this, the Society of Weldadigheid tried to contribute to raising the moral level of the colonists. In 1851, the first stone was laid for the Protestant church of the Frederikoord colony.

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    Colony church - Wilhelminaoord Colony church Wilhelminaoord

  • De Tramloods - Frederiksoord

    The historic tram shed is an annex to Museum De Proefkolonie. Here you can experience the permanent exhibition Return Society | Mobility in the Colonies of Weldadigheid. Immerse yourself in the unique logistical problems of this special UNESCO World Heritage area.

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    De Tramloods - Frederiksoord

UNESCO World Heritage Site

The Colonies of Weldadigheid were declared a UNESCO World Heritage Site in the summer of 2021. With this, UNESCO's World Heritage Committee recognises the worldwide exceptional and universal value of the agricultural colonies for poverty alleviation in Frederiksoord-Wilhelminaoord, Veenhuizen and in the Belgian Colony of Root. Together they form one transnational UNESCO World Heritage Site. You can still find many traces of the Society of Weldadigheid and the ideas of General Johannes van den Bosch in the unique area.

Featured cycling routes - Discover the Colonies of Weldadigheid by bicycle

Video

Watch the video for a good mood impression of the Colonies of Weldadigheid in south-west Drenthe.

Video Colonies of Weldadigheid
  • Video Colonies of Weldadigheid

Featured hiking trails - Walk along history

Featured events

Featured activities

Numerous monuments

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