The village of Taarlo has 145 inhabitants, but during the reunion on the occasion of the 1200th anniversary, that number had more or less doubled. “What a beautiful drake.”
This Saturday the sun is shining, the temperature is pleasant and there is a cheerful buzz from the party tent. Taarlo wears the party hat for four days, because the village has been around for 1200 years.
That is to say: that milestone was already reached in 2020. But yes, corona. And so the festivities went into the fridge. Three years later, the mood is no less. At the special reunion on Saturday, the reunion between villagers and former residents is cordial and memories of times gone by are reminisced.
Take Rineke Hamminga. Currently living in Amsterdam, but can still be found in Drenthe with some regularity. “My brothers live in Assen. But when I visit them, I always drive through Taarlo where I had my childhood years.”
Village pub
Her parents ran village café Het Loo for about ten years, until the early 1980s the only facility in Taarlo. “We also functioned as a pancake restaurant,” she says. “It was a real meeting point for the residents.”
She praises nature, village life, horseback riding. ,,Everybody knows each other. People are helpful and involved. This reunion feels a bit like coming home.”
More reunionists who have spread across the country have that feeling. Common qualifications about Taarlo are ‘sociable’, ‘together’ and ‘close’. ,,What a beautiful drunk here”, smiles an old man.
,,In Taarlo noabership is not an empty slogan”, says villager Jantinus Kommers, also active in the reunion committee. “We are also an active village. We just hold meetings in someone’s barn.”
Farms
Because that’s what Taarlo is: a collection of farms, some of which have multiple living areas. “What you see a lot lately is that young people who left the village around the age of 20 return at a later age and move into the parental home.”
New residents receive a standard visit from someone from Dorpsbelangen. Kommers: ,,They also receive an information booklet about Taarlo, with parties, customs and habits. No, it is not mandatory. People are free to participate or not to participate in social life.
Passing away
The village has its fixed habits and customs: Easter fire, Sint Maarten, the New Year’s drink. And in the event of a death, the nearest neighbors often place an advertisement, asking other villagers if they want to place their name under the advertisement.
Chairman Herman ten Kate of Dorpsbelangen praises the ‘big, cultural life’ in the village. “It is very special for such a small community,” he says. “But it shows the togetherness.”
Free-spirited
Ten Kate also calls Taarlo a free-spirited village. “There has never been a church here. The inhabitants were not serfs in that respect. Taarlo has always been an independent village. You still notice that independence today.”
According to researchers, the Taarlo area has been inhabited almost continuously since prehistoric times. However, the recorded history of Taarlo goes back to the year 820.
Oldest village?
Whether Taarlo is the oldest village in Drenthe, the scholars do not agree. Noordbarge, Tynaarlo and Vries also claim that title, but there is no absolute certainty. What is striking is that the mentioned villages are located on the Drents Plateau.
The celebration of twelve centuries of Taarlo includes theatre, film, joint lunch and music evening. Mayor Marcel Thijssen opened the party on Thursday with the unveiling of the new bilingual place name sign Taarlo/Taorl on Osdijk.