A vantage point, a roof: residents and tourists should be able to enjoy the village under the wooden truss in the center of Exloo. The wooden building has been there for a while, but was officially unveiled on Friday evening under the name Het Verbint.
Het Verbint stands on the site where the building of textile company Smeman used to be, which was demolished in 2019. The name was coined by students of primary school De Zweng. Originally, the structure stood in the exercise garden of Exloo, but it was hardly used there.
“Then we thought of Smeman’s place,” says Jakob Rijnberg, area coordinator of the Borger-Odoorn municipality. “That it would be nice if we transport that truss from one place to another and turn it into a seat. That way you can have conversations or eat a sandwich. That’s what it’s for.”
But don’t call it a hangout. “No, it is not,” says Rijnberg. “It’s a place for all ages.”
Sheep and Bebinghehoes
About 25 volunteers helped move the wooden structure, build the roof, lay the paving and refurbish the adjacent field. “When the party is over, let’s walk sheep there. Then the tourists can watch the sheep from Het Verbint.”
Rijnberg hopes that a little beauty will be added to the village in this way. “It is a beautiful place to look out over Exloo. The Bebinghehoes used to be on this site. We got rid of that in a sad way [de achttiende-eeuwse boerderij brandde in 2017 af, red.] . With a bit of luck, the new Hallenhoes will be there next year. Then we will have a beautiful place in Exloo again.”