Drenthe now has 52 dolmens, but there could have been a lot more. The Drenthe hunebed arsenal was more extensive centuries ago. In the course of the eighteenth century, many of the giant stones were moved to the coast.
This move was due to an explosion of shipworms. As the name suggests, the worm entrenched itself in piles that provided the necessary dike reinforcement along the Zuiderzee area. The poles quickly crumbled and lost their function.
Combating the stubborn mollusk was impossible, as those involved knew. Dolmens were considered an alternative. The stone giants had to keep the vulnerable dikes stable and protect the poles from an even bigger Swiss cheese. Drenthe megalithic tombs were closest, later shiploads also arrived from Norway, Sweden, Germany and elsewhere in Northern Europe.
In the long run, a trade arose in the stones, which did not represent any monumental value and were therefore a willing object for dyke reinforcement. Sometimes the dolmens were too big and they were chopped into smaller pieces. Remnants were left behind in Drenthe.
A few years later, the province came to its senses and for the first time made a policy to protect the prehistoric tombstones. This prevented a greater migration of dolmens to the coastal area. In 1846 the province bought the first four dolmens from private owners. “Protecting the dolmens has been a long process,” says archaeologist Riemke Scharff, who is affiliated with the Hunebed Center in Borger. “Thinking about this is one of the reasons why we organize a Day of the Hunebed.”