Veendam wants to follow Drenthe’s Westerveld as a tourist hotspot. What do you have to do for that? Which places are the nicest and how can you better put yourself on the map.
How do you better highlight the peat colonial history? Not only for tourists but also for the local population. The municipality of Veendam wants to polish up its own (heritage) pearls and bring them to the attention. The Drenthe municipality of Westerveld serves as an example. There, alderman Annelies Kleve and civil servants went on a working visit and talked to Minne Wiersma and Bernard Stikfort, among others. Kleve: ,,Westerveld plays a pioneering role. They have achieved a lot in just a few years.”
Westerveld has a thriving recreation sector. There are two national parks: the Drents Friese Wold and the Dwingelderveld and of course there are the Colonies of Benevolence. They have been on the UNESCO World Heritage List since 2021.
The Society of Benevolence
The Society of Benevolence was founded in 1818 by Major General Johannes van den Bosch. From the beginning of the 19th century, poor and disadvantaged people from the West were transferred to so-called agricultural colonies for poverty alleviation in Frederiksoord and Veenhuizen, among others. They were brought there with the aim of ‘uplifting people through work on the land, education and training’.
Kleve: ,,It has done Westerveld no harm. We want to know: how do you do that? What can we learn from our colleagues in Drenthe? What can we in Veendam do more than we already do? Veendam and the surrounding area is a cultural-historically rich area. Including maritime, landscape and industrial heritage. We want to draw more attention to that.”
Gold in hands
Above all, don’t be too modest, says Minne Wiersma. He is the director of the Society of Benevolence. “Be proud of what you have. Express how special you are and keep developing. The snowball has to keep rolling and growing.”
According to Bernard Stikfort, Veendam has gold in its hands. “Westerveld has the Colonies. Veendam has the peat districts. Behind Wildervank lies a special waterway system, unique in Europe.”
Stikfort knows both municipalities from oat to barley. He lives in the municipality of Veendam, in Zuidwending. He works in the municipality of Westerveld as a policy director for heritage, cultural history and monuments. On behalf of Westerveld, he was closely involved in getting The Colonies of Benevolence on the World Heritage List.
With the gold, Stikfort refers to the ancient peat districts (canals), one of the largest canal systems in the world. A neighborhood every 160 meters. “It is one of the most beautiful landscape gems we have in the Netherlands. It has potential for inclusion on the World Heritage List. Revitalize that area. The neighborhoods are ideal for water retention and as a water buffer system, but also for canoeing, recreation and as a nature reserve”, argues Stikfort
Stikfort: ,,There are so many more stories to tell in Veendam. About the capital villas, the Art Nouveau buildings, old factories, historic buildings along Oosterdiep and Westerdiep or the captain’s houses in Borgerswold. Veendam once had as its credo: From Turfstad to Durfstad. The courage is out. Veendam should be a bit more proud of something so unique.”
‘Be proud and ensure support’
Wiersma agrees: ,,You can be proud of what you have. But take the time to make good plans. We did too. In this way we have achieved a lot in recent years. Together with the municipality, with residents and entrepreneurs.
“You help each other out and bring each other ideas. For example, we have taken over the De Proefkolonie museum in the House of Benevolence in Frederiksoord. We went through it with a fresh look. People don’t come for display cases of stuff. It is now arranged in such a way that visitors are stimulated to visit the area in particular. We make people look at landscape differently.”
He has another important tip for the Veendammers. “Get support from your own people. Your citizens are the best ambassadors.”
“We are happy to share our knowledge and expertise in the field of heritage, tourism and spatial planning,” says Stikfort, who regularly enters into private discussions with the municipality of Veendam. As a member of the Heemschut heritage association, he is a thorn in the side when it comes to monument care in his own municipality.
,,That doesn’t bite each other”, say Stikfort and the alderman. “I try to keep the community sharp. I remain critical. I learned from Rikus Jager, mayor of Westerveld: without sleepers, gain track.’ ”
Incidentally, it does not stop with the one visit. Soon the Westervelders will come to Veendam for a tour along the Veenkoloniale pearls. Kleve: ,,We are planning a nice day for it.”