Smilde: Canal Village History and Historic Routes

Smilde combines local history with walking and cycling routes. If you are looking for a hotel in Smilde, historic buildings, the history of the canal village and routes in the surrounding area can help you match the destination to your interests. The themes range from the beginnings of settlement during land reclamation to various ways of getting to know Smilde and its surroundings.

Smilde as a canal village

Smilde emerged around 1770 as a canal village, when the reclamation of the Smildervenen began. The canal is an important point of reference for this local history. The waterway near Smilde is part of the Turfroute, a water route more than 200 kilometres long through Drenthe, Friesland and Overijssel. Today, the canal is used only for recreation. The Tramweg also recalls an earlier form of transport: a tram line once ran along the canal near Smilde. Taken together, these places and names tell of different periods of history—from land reclamation and the tram to the canal’s present-day recreational use.

Churches and historic houses

The Koepelkerk is an octagonal domed church built by A. M. Sorgh from 1780 to 1788. Its organ was made in 1841; P. van Oeckelen is named as its builder. Villa Maria offers another point of reference in time: the building was erected in 1893 and became the town hall in 1931. By contrast, both the appearance and the surroundings of the Boerderij Assen-Rode are notable. The simple, white-plastered house dates from around 1850 and stands opposite the Dutch Reformed church. Behind the Boerderij, on a plot of land, there is a tomb with inscriptions and remnants of carved reliefs. The buildings therefore differ in form and history, from the octagonal church with its organ to the house and the tomb behind it.

Historic routes in and through Smilde

There are a variety of historic routes for walking or cycling. The Historische route door de Smildes is a 28.5-kilometre cycling route through Bovensmilde, Smilde and Hoogersmilde. The historic Smilde walking route is a 7.5-kilometre loop through Smilde. Along the way, it passes the Koepelkerk and other historic buildings. You can choose a route based on the mode of transport and the route itself: the loop goes through Smilde, while the longer cycling route connects three named places. It is a five-minute walk from the Polakkenbrug bus stop to the start of the route.

For the route to Landgoed Korteweg, you can park on the shoulder at the end of the paved road. This road is accessible from Boerenlaan in Smilde. This gives you a specific arrival point for this route, in addition to the information about starting a route at the Polakkenbrug bus stop.

Nature and other routes nearby

Kyllotsbos is located near Smilde. In this natural area, woodland, heathland and grassland alternate; it is suitable for short walks and leisurely cycle rides. This makes it a different kind of destination from the historic buildings and the loop through Smilde: here, the focus is on the different landscapes.

Further afield in the region, the 16-kilometre Boswachterspad Olde Smildeger starts at the car park at Sportlaan 1 in Hoogersmilde. The starting point is therefore in Hoogersmilde, not Smilde. When choosing a route, you can distinguish the local routes in Smilde from a longer route that starts further afield. Together with Kyllotsbos, these offer different focuses for planning: local and architectural history, a tour through Smilde, or nature and routes in the surrounding area.

Discover more destinations: Zwiggelte, Elp, Spier, Westerbork, Hooghalen, Ruinerwold, Hoogersmilde, Beilen.

See the main travel overview: Midden-Drenthe.