Hondsrug Geopark

The Hondsrug Geopark tells the story of the unique landscape of Eastern Drenthe. How ice and melting water kneaded and shaped the landscape into hilly ridges and brook valleys. How the builders of megalithic tombs stacked their burial monuments, how important a role the Hondsrug played as a trade route and for the advance of armies, and how peat was dug. However, this region has many more stories to tell. This unique geology and history justifies the Hondsrug becoming the first Geopark of the Netherlands.

Global network

Around the year 2000, four European regions with a unique geological history and very special cultural history, took the initiative to introduce the idea of a European Geopark Network. They were the Eifel in Germany, the island of Lesbos in Greece, the Haute Provence in France and the Maestrazgo in South-east Spain. This network has since evolved into a worldwide one, the Global Geopark Network. By now, the world counts around 85 of these Geoparks. The network is managed by UNESCO. The Hondsrug Geopark shares the common objective of all these world parks: to work at a sustainable future for the region based on a unique geology, culture and nature. ‘Artists along the Hondsrug’ is one of the themes introduced as part of development of the Hondsrug Geopark.

Information portal

An ‘information portal’ has been set up here in the Van Gogh House Drenthe in Nieuw-Amsterdam to enlighten this theme. The information portal provides an overview of the story of artists along the Hondsrug. The main theme in this case is the story of Vincent van Gogh in Drenthe. It is supplemented and placed in a broader context by references to the other hotspots along the Hondsrug. All these hotspots have something special to tell and to be experienced with regard to the artists.