Meppen: Nature, Craftsmanship and Cultural Heritage

Meppen combines nature with rural history, craftsmanship and local remembrance. These are distinct themes to consider when planning your trip: a juniper heath on the edge of the village, an Iron Age urnfield, historic farms and the Frensenhoes. A hiking route and a group tour add specific activity options to the local sights.

Juniper landscape and hike

Meppen borders the De Mepperdennen forest and the De Palms juniper heath. The heath is home to juniper shrubs of a size rarely found elsewhere in the Netherlands. This gives nature-focused trip planning a specific highlight. The same name appears in two different contexts: De Palms is the juniper heath, while “Meppen: De Palms” is the 3.5 km hiking route.

Historic farms and archaeology

Meppen is a village of monumental farms. Molenes is an Iron Age urnfield (700–500 BC) protected as a Rijksmonument, a Dutch national monument. The farm at Middendorpsstraat 2 in Meppen is also a Rijksmonument. The De Prakkehof farmhouse in the Drenthe village of Meppen dates from 1699. The farm belonging to Gerwin and Melissa Tiems in Meppen is described as the oldest farm in Drenthe. Molenes and the farm on Middendorpsstraat share Rijksmonument status, but represent different types of monuments: an Iron Age urnfield and a farmhouse. The dates therefore range from the Iron Age to a farmhouse dating from the late 17th century.

Craftsmanship at the Frensenhoes

The Frensenhoes was built in 1916 as a carpentry workshop on the site at De Kockstraat 3 in Meppen, where it still stands today. The machines remain as they were installed in the 1920s; the construction date and the later installation of the machines therefore mark two phases in the workshop’s history. The Cultuurpad Coevorden: Meppen–Gees starts at the Frensenhoes, Burgemeester De Kockstraat 3, in Meppen. Group tours with demonstrations are available by appointment; arrange the booking details before your trip.

Remembrance at Katspad

A memorial commemorating Rozetta and Meijer Kats was unveiled at Katspad in Meppen; the date was 31 July 1998. This act of remembrance differs from Molenes and the farms: it connects a precisely dated event with two people named individually, whereas Molenes dates to the Iron Age and De Prakkehof dates from 1699. The comparison reveals different time periods and types of cultural heritage: the archaeological past, rural architectural history and local remembrance.

Hiking, the cultural trail and a tour

The information answers different questions when planning activities: “Meppen: De Palms” is 3.5 km long, the Cultuurpad Coevorden: Meppen–Gees starts at the Frensenhoes, and group tours with demonstrations are available by appointment. This lets you distinguish between a route length, a named starting point and the need to make arrangements in advance.

Discover more destinations: Gees, Benneveld, Schoonoord, Zwinderen, Noord-Sleen, Dalerveen, Dalen, Oosterhesselen

For the wider travel overview: Coevorden.