Drieborg: A dyke village with a history of architecture

Drieborg is a dyke village whose history is linked to the Oudedijk and the reclamation of land in the eastern Dollard basin. The village also has different types of housing and walking and cycling routes that connect it to regional trails. If you are considering Drieborg as a travel destination, its dyke history, architecture and landscape offer specific points of interest.

Dyke history and the village name

Drieborg gradually took shape after the Oudedijk was built in 1657. The Schanskerdijk, also known as the Oudedijk, was the second dyke in the eastern Dollard basin used to reclaim land. Drieborg got its name because three dykes meet here. The village name therefore refers to the dyke lines, while the history of the Oudedijk gives the year it was built and its role in land reclamation.

Drieborg was built in the land of the villages lost to flooding about a century after the inundation; it is not itself a lost village. When the village was called Oudedijk, it had a small school and a grain mill. Around 1900, it even gained a printing works. These milestones belong to different periods in the village’s history, from the origins of the dyke village to the amenities of village life at the time.

Buildings and architecture

The buildings include single-storey workers’ houses in traditional styles, including the so-called Delfts Rood, as well as rows of houses with a full upper storey. Both types were built between around 1950 and 1958. Different building heights thus date from the same period, offering a specific comparison when you explore the village’s architectural history.

One notable building is Boerderij Schanskerdijk at Schanskerdijk 27. The farmhouse is listed as a Dutch national monument (Rijksmonument) and lies on the edge of the Kroonpolder. The dyke near Drieborg/Kostverloren offers views of both the Kroonpolder and the Stadspolder. Alongside the buildings, these named polders are part of the landscape surrounding Drieborg.

Walking and cycling

The Ommetjes Drieborg circular walk is 5.8 km long; a shorter version is 4.0 km. The difference between the two route lengths is 1.8 km. Noorderlicht, Oudedijk 8a, Drieborg, is listed as the starting point. Check the local signs before setting out.

Another option is the Graanrepubliek day hike. It is part of the NorthSeaTrail 51, an international long-distance walking route around the North Sea, and passes Hoeve Stocksterhorn in Drieborg. Route conditions can change, so check them before setting out. Ten circular walking routes have also been created in Oldambt, running around five villages: Bad Nieuweschans, Drieborg, Beerta, Nieuw Beerta and Hongerige Wolf/Ganzendijk. Drieborg is one of these five villages.

The Oldambtroute cycling route passes through Drieborg and across the vast eastern Dollard basin. Conditions and signage on this route can also change, so it is helpful to check the current signs when planning your ride. The walking routes offer specific distances or named connections to other routes, while the cycling route links the village to a wider crossing of the Dollard basin.

Discover more destinations: Nieuwolda, Westerlee, Blauwestad, Scheemda, Nieuweschans, Finsterwolde, Oudezijl, Reiderland.

For the overview of the wider region: Oldambt.