Zuidvelde: Protected Village View and Tonckensbos

Zuidvelde stands out in the history of the village for its protected village view, a very large village green and historic farmhouses. Tonckensbos adds a distinctive landscape and archaeological features. The historic road to Norg and the named routes also provide concrete points of interest for planning your trip.

Village Centre and Protected Village View

Westervelde and Zuidvelde together form an officially designated protected village view. In Zuidvelde, the village green and farmhouses are part of this protected village view. The village green is very large and planted with trees; Drenthe heath sheep graze there. Both the open centre and the farmhouses thus shape the village’s protected character.

The dates when the individual farmhouses were built also lend the village view historical depth. The core of the longhouse at Asserstraat 78 dates from 1570. The farmhouse at Asserstraat 89 dates from 1660; at Brink 1 and 2 there are farmhouses from the 18th century. The dates therefore range from the core of a 16th-century longhouse to farmhouses from the 18th century. They refer to different buildings and construction dates, not to a single year in which the village was built.

The village’s development also explains why the old centre has been preserved: Zuidvelde expanded mainly to the south. It is therefore important to distinguish the preserved old centre from the later expansion to the south when considering the village.

Landscape and Archaeology at Tonckensbos

Zuidvelde is part of the esdorpen landscape of Norg and borders Tonckensbos on two sides. The woodland covers about 35 hectares. Its varied landscape includes canals, wetlands, woods and a heathland area. A range of trees, small bodies of water, and numerous animals, insects and fungi are also among Tonckensbos’s features.

Alongside its landscape, archaeology is another part of this area’s character. The complex of burial mounds and an earthwork in Tonckensbos has been protected as a whole since 2002 and is a protected archaeological monument. The woods contain burial mounds described as Iron Age cremation burial mounds. These archaeological features are distinct from the area’s natural diversity, even though both form part of Tonckensbos’s character.

Historic Paths and Named Routes

The Reeweg has long connected Zuidvelde and Norg as a sandy track across the Norger Es. It was used primarily as a church path to the Sint-Margarethakerk in Norg. The name “church path” points to its main purpose; it was more than just a link between the two villages.

The walking route “From Norg to Tonckensbosch,” which heads south from Norg, is a separate route. Specific turns and path surfaces are given for a cycling route through Zuidvelde: at the cycle path and the village green, turn right; before the last farmhouse, the route follows a narrow path. At a sandy track, turn left onto a shell path and continue to a paved road. The historic connection, named walking route and cycling route each therefore have their own directions.

Planning Your Trip

The village’s features can be grouped into different themes to help you choose a destination. Those interested in settlement history will find points of interest in the protected village centre, the dated farmhouses and the former church path. Those who place more importance on landscape and archaeology can focus on Tonckensbos, with its varied landscape features and protected burial mound complex. If you are looking for a hotel in Zuidvelde, these distinctions can help you decide on the focus of your trip in advance, without conflating the village’s history, landscape and paths.

Discover more destinations: Westervelde, Een, Een-West, Veenhuizen, Norg, Roderwolde, Roden, Roderesch

For the broader travel overview: Noordenveld.