NETHERLANDS GUIDE

Discover Benelux | Top Art & Culture Spots in the Netherlands in 2019 | The Ultimate Destination
‘The Stonehenge of the Netherlands’
TEXT: ARNE ADRIAENSSENS | PHOTOS: HUNEBEDCENTRUM
Looking for a faraway trip on a shoestring?
Then travel to the Stone Age this year. At the
Hunebedcentrum, the first farmers are still
afoot, and the biggest dolmen of the Benelux
rises from the ground in all its glory.
“Dolmens are tombs from the Stone Age,” explains,
Harrie Wolters, director of the centre.
“Ours is about 5,000 years old.” The mystical
structures, which you can find all over Europe,
exist out of at least three monoliths: two on the
ground with a third one on top. Afterwards, the
dolmen builders used to construct a hill of soil
over it. Nowadays, only the robust skeletons remain.
“The building of the dolmens was a turning
point in human history. Up until then, they
were nomads, roaming the land. That our ancestors
decided to settle and build these complex
structures, is incredible. They had to be
innovative to get the stones in place, and collaborate
a lot. We have tried to build one ourselves
and we’ve failed. This is the Stonehenge of the
Netherlands!”
Besides the impressive colossus, there is
much to explore in and around the Hunebedcentrum.
In the museum, you find dioramas, games
and films. Outside, in the Prehistoric Park, you
meet the dolmen builders in their reconstructed
village, where they show and tell you all about
their era. In the magnificent Hondsrug UNESCO
Geopark and the impressive stone garden, you
can enjoy the best nature has to offer. “Companies
are also more than welcome here. Our auditorium
and restaurant can be rented for lectures
and congresses and the centre is the ideal getaway
for an unforgettable day of team building.”
Web: www.hunebedcentrum.eu
Museum.