Old Deep
4 hours 13 minutes
(16.4 km)
The Oude Diep hiking trail is a signposted 19-km walk. The impressive monuments and memorial sites along the way remind you of sad events during World War II. The beautiful natural areas bring you back to the present. You pass through the Spaarbank forest and the Boerenveensche Plassen nature reserve. You will also see the smallest house in Drenthe. The route is not paved everywhere.
Parking and public transport
The route starts at Hoogeveen station. There is ample parking here. Address for naviation: Stationsplein 1, 7901 AA Hoogeveen. Coming by public transport? Plan your public transport journey here.
Signposting
The route is signposted with white hexagonal signs with brown print.
Dogs
Dogs are allowed along if leashed.
Food & drink
Want something to eat or drink during this walk? You can do so at the starting and finishing point in Hoogeveen.
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Old deep route sign
Old deep route sign
You are going to see this
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War memorial NS railway station Hoogeveen
War memorial NS railway station Hoogeveen
The monument at the NS railway station in Hoogeveen is made of a propeller blade from the Lockheed P-38 Lightning aircraft of aviator Albert A. Albino, which crashed on 29 November 1943. The prop...
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Lodging address Van Gogh | Hoogeveen | Drenthe
Lodging address Van Gogh | Hoogeveen | Drenthe
Lodging address Van Gogh. Vincent described on the day he arrived at the lodge in a letter to his brother.
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Savings Bank Forest
Savings Bank Forest
The Spaarbank forest was originally a wet heathland that was part of the Boerenveen lakes. In 1890, the Spaarbank from Hoogeveen bought the land as an investment and planted forest for...
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Execution monument Savings Bank forest
Execution monument Savings Bank forest
On 9 April 1945, a day before liberation, 3 young men were executed in the Spaarbank forest. The bodies of Albert Eggen, Sybrand Jan van der Linde and Johan Dhont were g...
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Execution monument Wijsterseweg
Execution monument Wijsterseweg
The Execution Monument on Wijsterseweg commemorates 19 innocent people killed by the Germans during a retaliatory attack on 9 and 10 April 1945. This tragedy followed their aid to...
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Execution monument Savings Bank forest - 5 men
Execution monument Savings Bank forest - 5 men
The impressive monument in the Spaarbank forest stands on the spot where five Hoogeveen residents were executed by the German occupiers on 1 August 1943. It was a retaliatory measure on e...
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Boerenveen lakes
Boerenveen lakes
The wet heathland area, located north of Hoogeveen, covers 147 hectares and is characterised by numerous wet, peaty lowlands, fen complexes and peat pits. In it, rare species thrive...
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Holiday home | The Smallest House
Holiday home | The Smallest House
Between Beilen and Hoogeveen, the Oude Diep stream seeks its way through the greenlands from the Drents Plateau. In the middle of this area, near Stuifzand, lies the Smallest House in Drenthe.
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The Old Deep
The Old Deep
In nature reserve Oude Diep, you walk along a meandering stream surrounded by hay meadows, wooded banks and stream valley forest. The water finds its way from Mantinge towards Hoogeveen. By restoring nature and landscape, this stream valley has become a peaceful and varied walking area.
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Monument Black Saturday
Monument Black Saturday
Saturday 5 August 1944 has gone down in history as a Black Saturday for Hoogeveen and the surrounding area and the Dutch Railways. Until 5 August, the NS recorded the shelling of 247 locom...
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Organic cheese farm JUSTA
Organic cheese farm JUSTA
The cheese dairy is the space in the farm where it ultimately happens. It is the capstone of farming activities. After taking good care of the cows on the land, the cows give lots and l...
Description
Additional info
- Hoogeveen originated in 1625. That is when Roelof van Echten bought a large area of peatland in the parish of Zuidwolde. Roelof van Echten belonged to one of the oldest noble families in Drenthe and lived in Huis te Echten. For the reclamation of this area, the Compagnie van 5000 Morgen was founded (5000 Morgen is about 6000 hectares) and a canal with side canals was dug for access. At the intersection with the first district (now the Hoofdstraat), a village arose. Hoogeveen grew into the largest peat producer in the Netherlands. One of the most famous buildings in Hoogeveen is the Reformed Church. This church dates from 1652 and is partly known for its statue of the Drummer. Roelof van Echten made his own chapel available to residents for Sunday services. Before the service, he had a drummer go around to drum up the people.
- The walk starts at Hoogeveen NS railway station and passes a number of memorial sites. Right by the station is a war memorial on the spot where a plane crashed in late 1943 and the pilot was killed.
- You leave Hoogeveen behind you and walk into the Spaarbank forest. The forest area north of Hoogeveen is owned by the Hoogeveen municipality and a number of private individuals. The name Spaarbankbosch owes the forest to the Spaarbank Hoogeveen, which owned this area from 1902 to 1974, and created it as a walking forest for the people of Hoogeveen.
- Three monuments in the forest recall sad moments during World War II. The monument Spaarbankbosch recalls the execution of three young men in the Spaarbankbosch on 9 April 1945, a day before the liberation. The monument on Wijsterseweg is in memory of those killed in the train shelling in August 1944. An impressive monument in the Spaarbank forest stands on the spot where five Hoogeveen residents were executed by the German occupiers on 1 August 1943. It was in retaliation for a failed raid to get hold of distribution vouchers.
- After stopping at the impressive memorial sites, resume the walk towards the Boerenveensche Plassen. The Boerenveensche Plassen is a 147-hectare open moorland with fens and peat pits. After the winter, it can stay wet here for a very long time, as a number of drainage ditches were filled in the past and there is a lot of loam in the subsoil. As a result, several rare plants occur here, such as bell gentian, marsh hogweed, fall grass and sundew. The site is also interesting as a breeding ground for birds. Breeding pairs of little grebes, grebes and teal occur.
- You continue walking towards the Secteweg near Stuifzand where Drenthe's smallest cottage stands. Originally, it was a plaggenhut for a peasant family. In 1998, the now stone house was in danger of being demolished. Through the intervention of the Drenthe Landscape Foundation, it was preserved and converted into a holiday home.
- You cross the stream Oude Diep and continue walking with views over the stream valley. Just off the walking route are a number of monuments. Monument Black Saturday commemorates train shelling on 5 August 1944. Near Siberia is the monument to the Kremboong Jewish Labour Camp.
- Siberia is a region with an eponymous road that is home to a number of farms, which, according to tradition, were so remote and desolate that it was reminiscent of Napoleon's harsh and bad experiences during his journey to and stay in Russia. However, old maps of the time do not yet show the area.
- On your way towards the village of Stuifzand, you will pass Biological Cheese Farm JUSTA. Justa means cheese and is derived from the Old Germanic word for cheese. As the name Stuifzand suggests, there was sand in this area well before the arrival of this village. The first sand reclamations took place in the 18th century and from around 1850 the first residents settled here.
- You return to Hoogeveen via the hamlet of Stadterij. The name Stadterij comes from the Stadt family that once lived here. The 'Oude Diep' walk is over. Settle down in a local café or restaurant and enjoy this beautiful walk.