Nucleus

Hilter is located in a small park behind the town hall of Hilter, close to the road Zum Schoppenbusch.

The already completely destroyed grave was first discovered in 1902 and scientifically examinied. During the next years the exact location was unknown, that’s why it it took until 1982, when the grave was rediscovered. The excavation showed that the tomb was oriented east-west and trapezoidal. The length was 15 m, the width was between 2.7 m and 4 m.

The architecture of the tomb is quite unusual. Its walls consisted of boulders and dry stone masonry, as was the case with the northern megalithic tombs. Of these boulder eight were preserved. In the eastern part, however, was a transverse row of four broken limestone slabs, which divided the interior of the tomb into a pre- and main chamber. Such an architectural element is more typical of the gallery graves of the Hessian-Westphalian megalithic. The plant in Hilter thus represents a mixed or transitional form between the northern passage graves and the gallery graves further south.

After the last excavation the tomb was reconstructed about 300m away from its original location. Although the orientation and location of the entrance correspond to the original layout, the number and size of the stones in the reconstruction does not properly match the excavation findings and only a little amount of the original building material was reused.

Visited July 2018

From the A33, take the Borchen exit south of Paderborn and drive towards Borchen. Now coming from the south, after about 400m you will reach a junction with the road An den Steinkisten. To get to the tomb turn right here and you’ll find the tomb after about 50m to your left. Kirchborchen I lies about 120m to the northwest.

Kirchenborch II is the better preserved tomb, at least you can recognize the shape and structure. The tomb it is about 15m long and 4m wide, inside the tomb two clusters of trees certainly contributed to the destruction of the tomb. According to the information board, there is a port-hole (“Seelenloch”) in the northeast, but it is hardly visible because a stone slab was laid in front of it.

Visited July 2018

Text taken from the information board:

Prehistoric Stone-chamber tomb Kirchborchen II.

This stone chamber tomb was built in the Neolithic period (about 2500-2000 BC) by the local rural population as a community grave.

The burial chamber was originally topped with stone slabs and covered by a mound (image). The access to the chamber was on the southeastern long side of the chamber. It had the form of an oval, out of two stone slabs worked out port-hole [in German “Seelenloch”].

As excavations have shown, several generations of dead were buried in such chambers by a clan or settlement community with their grave goods – food, drinks, jewelry, weapons and tools.

The impulses for the construction of the stone-chamber tombs of the “Hercynian type” came from southern and western Europe, especially the French Seine area, where there are numerous models of the same type.

From the A33, take the Borchen exit south of Paderborn and drive towards Borchen. Now coming from the south, after about 400m you will reach a junction with the road An den Steinkisten. To get to the tomb Kirchborchen I, turn left here. The road makes a right bend and about 75 meters later, as soon as the first houses appear on the right-hand side, the tomb is located about 30m to the right. Kirchborchen II lies about 120m to the southeast.

Unfortunately the tomb is heavily overgrown, only the last remaining capstone, which is collapsed into the tomb, is clearly visible. All other leftover stones, which are buried in the ground, can only be seen to some extent, which is a shame. So you have to rely on the information board and the drawings of the tomb to get an idea, how the tomb might have looked like. I read somewhere, that the chamber is orientated northeast-southwest and that it is about 21m long and 3m wide.

Visited July 2018

Text from the information board:

Cultural monument
Prehistoric Stone-chamber tomb
Kirchborchen I

This stone chamber tomb was built in the Neolithic period (about 2500-2000 BC) by the local rural population as a community grave.

The burial chamber was originally topped with stone slabs and covered by a mound (image 1 a-b). The access to the chamber was on the southeastern long side of the chamber. It had the form of an oval, out of two stone slabs worked out port-hole [in German “Seelenloch”] (image 2).

As excavations have shown, several generations of dead were buried in such chambers by a clan or settlement community with their grave goods – food, drinks, jewelry, weapons and tools.

The impulses for the construction of the stone-chamber tombs of the “Hercynian type” came from southern and western Europe, especially the French Seine area, where there are numerous examples of the same type.

The gallery grave Etteln lies north west of the village on the Lechtenberg within a group of trees between fields. To reach the tomb turn left from the Kirchstraße (if you drive the K20 northward) into the Westernstraße, from here the tomb is signed (but a little unobtrusive). After about 750m turn right and after additional 750m turn left. You should reach a T-junction (you should already see the group of trees), turn right and after about 250m you should reach to tomb on your left. A pretty zigzag ride.

The place for the grave was probably chosen with great care more than 4.000 years ago, as it lies at the end of a ridge which slopes down to the north, giving very nice views of the landscape.

Visited July 2018

Taken from the information board:

Prehistoric gallery grave Etteln

Large community grave built in the Neolithic (2500 – 2000 BC.) in which a clan or settlement community of Neolithic cultivators buried for a long time their dead. Visible are the orthostats of the 22m long burial chamber, which are inclined inwards by the earth’s pressure.
The chamber formerly had a ceiling of large limestone slabs. It was sunk into the ground by two-thirds and covered by an elongated mound of earth.
On the south side, an entrance led into the now underground burial room.
Finds from the stone chamber graves are exhibited in the Westphalian State Museum of Prehistoric and Early History in Münster and in the local history museum of the Paderborn district, in the Wewelsburg.

The grave is located at the northwestern end of Henglarn, just south of the road from Henglarn to the Autobahn junction Borchen-Etteln on the A33. It was discovered during the construction of the road. Unfortuantely it was heavily overgrown during my visit, without the display I would have probably passed the tomb without noticing.

The tomb’s chamber is about 18.5 meters long and about 2.5 m wide, it is oriented approximately Northwest-Southeast.

Visited July 2018

The gallery grave Atteln I lies today on the edge of a small industrial area Auf dem Hohenloh east of Atteln and north of the road L754 to Husen. After leaving the Attelner Straße (L754) follow the road Im Mersch for about 175m and you’ll find the tomb in a small clearing surrounded by trees to you right.

The tomb is oriented in northwest-southeast direction. It is about 21m long and 2.5-3m wide. The entrance was on the eastern narrow side and was closed by a simple drywall of river boulders, some stones of the drywall are still present. For the reconstruction of the tomb 17 original stones were used, missing stones were replaced by limestone blocks from a nearby quarry. The original height of the chamber could be reconstructed by a completely preserved wall stone at 1.65 meters. The northwestern end of the chamber, which is not accessible, was reconstructed using this stone.

Visited July 2018

The gallery grave of Rimbeck – Warburg lies northeast of the village Rimbeck and belongs to the Hessian-Westphalian galleries. To reach the site leave the B7 into Elisabethstrasse, after about 430m when the road bends to left continue straight ahead into Zur Märk. After about 250m there is a slight right bend and you are in the road Zum Weissen Holz. Continue on this road for about 500m until you reach the forest. Park here and use the middle forest track which goes uphill for about 450m, where a little beaten path leaves the main track to the left. You should notice the information board of the tomb from here.

The 12 m long and 2 m wide gallery grave is embedded in the ground. While the supporting stones are largely preserved, no capstones were found. The site originally consisted of a chambered tomb completely covered with stone slabs, which lay under a mound and only connected to the outside world by a short corridor with a Port-hole slab (German: Seelenloch) still visible today.

The large pieces of rock from sandstone, which served as the building material, do not occur at the site. They had to be brought over a distance of 3.5km.

Visited July 2018

The menhir of Hertingshausen is located on the edge of a small wood, north of the K22 between Baunatal and Hertingshausen. It is a strangely wedged shaped 2m high stone that looks like much of it has broken away and is now missing.

Like the Hünstein – Großenritte in Baunatal this menhir consists of quartzite, which was probably broken from the Hertingshäuser cliffs.

Visited July 2018

The Hünstein of Großenritte is now located at the Hünsteinplatz in the midst of a relatively new residential estate in Baunatal in the district of Großenritte. It is 2,75m high and weights about four tons.

It consists of a quartzite that is not present here. A material analysis showed that the Hünstein was probably broken from the Hertingshäuser cliffs, which are about 3.8km away.

Visited July 2018

The gallery grave Lautariusgrab (Gudensberg) lies about 500m southeast of the L3218 road between Metze and Edermünde. There is a car park (Gestecke) where a forest track to the tomb starts.

The tomb has a rectangular layout of 10m long and 5m wide, it is assumed that the tomb was not covered with stones, but with wood.

Visited July 2018

Taken from one of the (red) information board:

The Lautariusgrab is a prehistoric cultural monument from the Neolithic Wartberg culture in the Gudensberger city forest. The origin of the name is unclear.

The prehistoric site consists of an above-ground burial chamber with two open antechambers. The tomb is unique in northern Hesse because of its shape and the purely aboveground construction. Other plants of the Wartberg culture are the gallery tombs of Züschen and Calden, which were partially sunk into a slight slope or covered with a mound. The tomb has a rectangular layout with a length of 10 m and a width of 5 m. It was probably covered with wood. The processed stones are made of quartzite and basalt. The floor of the grave was paved.

Settlements of the Wartberg culture are less than a kilometer away on the Gudensberger Bürgel and Güntersberg.

In 1932 the tomb was first uncovered and examined. Only a few skeletal remains in the form of bone fragments, a few fragments of cups and two stone ax made of siliceous rock were found. This small number of finds is explained by the above-ground construction and the rapid decay after ritual use. It makes dating difficult, but it can be assumed that the grave dates from around 3500-3000 BC. Chr. The finds are today kept in the Hessian State Museum in Kassel.

Züschen I, classified as a gallery grave or a Hessian-Westphalian stone cist, lies east of Züschen and north of the road L3218 to Lohne. There is a small car park about 100m south of the tomb. According to Wikipedia the German term of gallery grave for a certain type of megalithic sites is derived from the French term Allée couverte.

The rectangular chamber is 20m long and 3.5m wide. It is built of rectangular sandstone slabs, which can’t be found on this valley side of the Elbebach. Each long wall consists of a row of 12 slabs, one of which is missing. The narrow walls consist of a single slab each. Some of the stones (b1 and b2) contain some incised carvings, comparable to prehistoric rock art elsewhere in Europe.

Due to increasing vandalism, like the engraving of names and signs, the tomb was roofed and fenced in 1986. According to the display panel, it is still possible to visit the tomb from inside, a key can be obtained from the museum in Fritzlar located in the Hochzeithaus (wedding house).

Visited July 2018

The menhir Hilgenstein is situated in the south of the village of Werkel, east of a development area in the street Am Hilgenstein.

The menhir is 1.5m high and 0.5m (base) respectively 0.3 m (top) wide. As there were no archaeological finds found nearby, it could not be dated beyound doubt. It is assumed that the current location is not identical to the original location.

Visited July 2018

Like its neighbour D46 Emmen (Angelslo), D47 Emmen (Angelslo) has been swallowed by the city of Emmen some time ago. I’m not a big fan of ‘urbanized’ megalithic sites, as I always find that they lack atmosphere, which is, beside the site itself, also important for me. In the case of these two Hunebeds I have to admit, that the impacts of the surrounding residential settlements are not too disturbing.

D47 Emmen (Angelslo) is a mid size Hunebed (6.9 x 2m), consisting originally of five capstones. In a restoration in 1997, two random boulders were added but not noticeable in the meantime anymore. The supporting stones and end stones are all present and are located almost entirely below the ground level.

The ‘official’ (signed) approach by car is to park in Heesackers street (around house no. 27) , which is right in the middle between the two Hunebeds and walk to each site from here.

Visited July 2018

Like its neighbour D47 Emmen (Angelslo), D46 Emmen (Angelslo) has been swallowed by the city of Emmen some time ago. I’m not a big fan of ‘urbanized’ megalithic sites, as I always find that they lack atmosphere, which is, beside the site itself, also important for me. In the case of these two Hunebeds I have to admit, that the impacts of the surrounding residential settlements are not too disturbing.

D46 Emmen (Angelslo) is a mid size Hunebed (9.5 x 3.6m), consisting originally of five capstones, the middle capstone is not present anymore. The supporting stones and end stones are all present.

The ‘official’ (signed) approach by car is to park in Heesackers street (around house no. 27) , which is right in the middle between the two Hunebeds and walk to each site from here.

Visited July 2018

D45 Emmerdennen is one of the most beautiful Hunebeds in The Netherlands. It is located on a small clearing in the woods, about 650m north of Scheper Zieckenhuis (hospital). Although the busy town of Emmen is nearby, the place emits a certain kind of tranquility and peace. The Hunebeds lies on a small hill, which also adds to the grandeur of this place.

It is one of the larger Hunebeds (18.5 x 4.5m), there are still six of originally nine capstones remaining (three capstone of the eastern section are missing) and two of the entrance stones. The eastern remaing capstone is remarkable large. From the originally 38 kerbstones only 13 are still present, 25 have disappeared.

Highly recommended!

Visited July 2018

The menhir Wotanstein is situated on the south-west corner of the village of Maden, east of the road K9, which leads from Maden to Obervorschütz. The site is signed, it is less than 50m from the road.

The menhir is 2.12m high, 1.2 m wide, and 0.55 m thick, it lies in a small clearing framed by hedges and trees.

Why a park bench with its back was set directly on the Menhir remains an eternal mystery to me. I would have placed it at a respectful distance and with a view on the menhir.

Visited July 2018

taken from the information board:

The Wotanstein in Maden

The Wotanstein (also “Wodanstein”), is considered one of the most imposing megalithic monuments in Germany. As megaliths (from ancient Greek megas = “large” and lithos = “stone”) one refers to large, often uncut stone blocks that were used as building blocks for grave and cultural facilities or erected as monoliths and positioned in stone settings. The Western and Northern European megalithic structures were all built in the Neolithic and Early Bronze Age. The rite of setting up such menhirs (Breton: men = stone, hir = long) was taken over from present-day France.

The uniqueness of the Wotanstein is that it consists of non-local quartzite. This material can only be found again in the area of ??Borken, around 25 km away. It is believed that the foundling was brought here and placed in the 3rd millennium BC.

An early ritual or religious use is very likely due to the conspicuous accumulation of similar menhirs in the area between Fritzlar and Kassel. The stone was then later (from the 1st millennium before Christ) probably used by the Chatti in the sacral landscape Mattium as a place of worship of Wodan (also “Wotan”, main deity in the Nordic-Germanic mythology).

The stone was first mentioned in 1407 as “the long stone at Madin”. According to oral tradition, the stone has been excavated in the 7-year War (1756-1763) because treasures were suspected under him. But only the remains of human bones were found, and it was realized that it was as deep buried in the earth as it is above the earth.

According to legend, the devil wanted to smash the stone from the Lamsberg on the first Christian church of Boniface in Fritzlar, which had been built from the wood of the Donareiche. However, it bounced off the pre-occupied shield of the Archangel Michael and drove to the place where it is today, into the earth. The impressions and holes on the stone were interpreted as handprints of the devil (devil’s claw).

The only special ‘feature’ of D44 Westenesch is the fact, that it is the only Hunebed in the Netherlands in private ownership. Apart from that, there are only a few remnants that should probably only be of interest to the Hunebed completionists among us.

Visited July 2018

D43 Emmen Schimmeres is a must see site, as it is the only long grave in The Netherlands. Normally long graves are more in common in Denmark and Germany, and indeed the Hunebed is more similar e.g. to Visbeker Bräutigam 3, Visbeker Braut and Glaner Braut 2 near Wildeshausen as to any other dutch Hunebed.

The long grave is 40.3 meters long and 6.8 meters wide, inside the 53 enclosing stones there are two burial chambers. The entrance to the northern burial chamber (4.6 x 3.0m) lay to the east, the entrance to the southern burial chamber (8.1 x 2.9m) lay to the west. The northern burial chamber originally had three capstones and six supporting stones, the southern burial chamber had five capstones and ten supporting stones.

Unfortunately, the Hunebed is currently heavily overgrown in some sections, but nevertheless a great place to visit.

Visited July 2018

D41 Emmen-N lies right beside the road to Oddorn. It is a nice little and notably flat Hunebed, even the capstones are flat. It is the last discovered hunebed in Drenthe. It is a relatively complete preserved with four capstones, two endstones and eight supporting stones.

Due to the proximity of the road and the housing estates the atmosphere is a little bit disturbed.

Visited July 2018

300m after the roundabout on the road to Odoorn, right after the town sign of Emmen, look for the Hunebed sight and turn right into a sandy track. After about 200m you will reach a gate, where you can park your car. From here it is a 10min walk (700m) to these trio of Hunebeds. Beside the Hunebed trio in Bronneger (D23 Bronneger, D24 Bronneger and D25 Bronneger), this is the only other Hunebed trio in The Netherlands.

D40 Emmerveld-ZO is the most impressive one of the trio, especially the two huge capstones are really awesome. From certain angles, it appear as only one capstone, which is broken in two pieces. D39 Emmerveld-ZW is interesting, because it it still buried mainly in its mound. Unfortunately there are not many stones left. D38 Emmerveld-N consists of only two remaining capstones of original five.

Overall not the best Hunebeds of Drenthe, but they are located in a splendid beautiful heathland clearing, which alone justifies a visit!

Visited July 2018

This is one of the larger (16.8 x 4.5 m), but also one of the lesser known dolmens of Drenthe. Originally it had 9 capstones, 4 of which are left over. Also 7 supporting stones and an endstone have disappeared. The terrain where it is, was called the ‘Stien Camp’ – the Stone field.

The Hunebed is special because the entrance was once formed by a corridor of twice three stones facing each other. Such a long ‘corridor’ has no other Hunebed; nothing can be seen anymore.

There is an impressive oak tree that rises from the middle of the Hunebed.

Visited July 2018

On the road (Melkweg) between Klijndijk and Valthe, about 300m behind Klijndijk is a car park on the right side. From here it is just a 250m walk to D35 Valthe.

There is not much to see on this Hunebed, only two of once five capstones have survived and the supporting stone are looking only very little out of the mound.

But the place where it is is very special. The Hunebed lies north of ‘pingo ruin’ (a glacial hollow), a large circular layer, which was once a lake or a swamp. So the builders of the Hunebed have chosen this place deliberately.

Visited July 2018

About 300m after the town sign of Odoom on the road to Borger you will find on the right a Hunebed sign, on the left a boulder marking the field track to the Hunebed. Just behind the Hunebed sign is a small paved area, which can be used as a parking space. From here is it just 250m to walk to the Hunebed.

D32 Odoorn is called a ‘low’ Hunebed, as the supporting and end stones are still buried half in the ground. The Hunebed is no longer complete: one capstone and three of the ten supporting stones are missing.

Near the Hunebed were once four other Hunebeds (now disappeared): D32a, D32b, D32c and D32d. It is said that the church of Odoorn is made up of stones from these Hunebeds.

Visited July 2018

The Hunebed can be reached via a dirt road from the road between Valthe and Odoorn. On the other side of this road is the largest burial mound of Drenthe Eppiesbergje burial mound. I parked at the crossing of Odoornerweg and Bergjesweg and walked for about 400m to the site, passing the destroyed D33 Valtherveld (not visible anymore).

D34 Valthe is 7.8m long and 3.0m wide. There are three of the five capstones and two of the entrance stones left, the ten supporting stones and the two endstones are almost hidden under the ground. The surrounding mound can still be seen, the Hunebed itselt lies in a small hollow.

According to Wikipedia, the oldest trading route in Drenthe runs along D31 Exloo, D33 Valtherveld, D34 Valthe, D35 Valthe and the burial mound Eppiesbergje. The Valtherzandweg forms part of this prehistoric route.

Visited July 2018

I parked my car in Valthe at the crossing of Hoofdstraat and Holtesweg (north of the Hunebed pair) near the Hunebed sign and walked Holtesweg about 0.5km to the site. You can already see the two hunebeds from a distance in a tree-surrounded area.

From two quite damaged Hunebeds D36 Valthe is the better one, it only lost one capstone, but from the remaing four capstone, only the massive western capstone seems to be in place. D37 Valthe (11.4 x 3.7m) lost four of its original six capstones, the two remaining are lying inside the Hunebed.

However, I was struggling to escape the special atmosphere around the Hunebed pair, caused by the old oak trees surrounding the area.

Well worth a visit.

Visited July 2018

D31 Exloo is a beautiful situated, but considerable destroyed Hunebed. Of the five capstones, only one has been preserved and it no longer rests on the supporting stones, of which six are left. Both endstones are still there and the once covering mound can also still be recognized.

In the woods east of D31 Exloo and south of Exloo Zuideres there was once Hunebed D31a Exloo (probably a cist), but the stones were removed between 1855 and 1875. For more information check the video for D31 Exloo on the Hunebedinfo website (see below).

According to Wikipedia, the oldest trading route in Drenthe runs along D31 Exloo, D33 Valtherveld, D34 Valthe, D35 Valthe and the burial mound Eppiesbergje. The Valtherzandweg forms part of this prehistoric route.

Visited July 2018

A nice (but rather flat) Hunebed (7.3 x 3.4m) in a beautiful setting. There are still three of the four capstones, eight supporting stones, two of the supporting entrance stone and two endstones present. Especially the southern capstone is very impressive.

The orientation is north-south (not quite common), which means the entrance is in the east section, not in the south.

Visited July 2018

Only 120m from the busy N374 between Borger and Buinen lies this medium sized Hunebed pair in their own little retreat surrounded by trees in the middle of a field. There is a small car parking space and an access path to the Hunebeds.

Although you can hear the passing cars, there is a peaceful atmosphere as soon as you are entering the wooded area with the Hunebeds. D28 Buinen is almost complete, only one of once four capstone is missing. One of the two remaining capstones (originally three) of D29 Buinen has a nice heart shape.

Visited July 2018

Does Size Really Matter? Not always!

Don’t get me wrong, D27 Borger is huge, it’s impressive, it’s the largest Hunebed of The Netherlands (22.6m x 4.1m), the capstones are massive, the portal entrance is enormous and so on. Superlatives without end. But what it lacks is atmosphere (but it is quite unfair to blame D27 Borger for that).

Because it is located in the immediate vicinity of the Hunebedcentrum in Borger, there is always quite a lot of hustle and bustle around the Hunebed, like children climbing on the stones, people taking selfies with the monument in the background, etc. So it is really hard to experience the site alone and to take photos without any people running into them.

So if this monster would be situated in a tranquil clearing in the woods, this Hunebed would be perfect. I would recommend a visit nevertheless, but maybe very early in the morning or in the late afternoon, when all visitor of the Hunebedcentrum have left. Although D27 Borger lies on the grounds of the Hunebedcentrum, it can be visited at any time.

Small side note:
Is it really just a coincidence (and never noticed before?) that with D27 Borger the largest Hunebed is pretty much in the middle of all other Hunebeds between Zuidlaren and Emmen? And that even its number (D27) is right in the middle of 53 Hunebeds, which means there are 26 Hunebeds north and 26 south of D27 Borger ;-) !

Visited July 2018

Most of the Hunebeds are isolated, but sixteen are grouped in eight pairs and six other form two groups of three. Here in Bronneger are five Hunebeds within 200m: a pair (D21 Bronneger and D22 Bronneger) and a trio (D23 Bronneger, D24 Bronneger and D25 Bronneger). And as if that were not enough, two more burial mounds are only about 150m west of D25 Bronneger. So this location must have been a very important spot sometime in history.

The easternmost D21 Bronneger, as well as the westernmost D25 Bronneger Hunebeds are the best preserved ones, whereas D22 Bronneger is the smallest Hunebed in The Netherlands, as only two capstones is all that remains.

But both groups are located in a scenic and idyllic setting, which absolutely justify a visit.

Visited July 2018

This pair consists of two very impressive Hunebeds, just about 15.5 meters apart from each other. The site is located west of the village Drouwen on Steenhopenweg in a small park just before the viaduct, which was built under the N34. Parking is easy as there is a small car park.

D19 Drouwen has a larger silhoutte and thus looks a bit more impressive, but D20 Drouwen has almost all of its kerbstones. The entrances are clearly visibile on both.

Great site to visit, along with Havelteberg and Rolde my favorite Hunebed pair.

Visited July 2018

This Hunebed lies in a clearing in the northeast corner of a woodland southwest of Drouwen. East of the Hunebeds are large fields where rolled turf is cultivated. Unfortuantely during my visit a loud power generator was running, which upset the whole atmosphere.

The Hunebed itself is really nice, but I must agree with Les Hamilton it is quite tricky to get good pictures, if you don’t have a stick or something else to raise the camera position (which I don’t have with me). There are five capstone, four entrance stone (no capstones here) and still 13 of original 27 kerbstones (there are markers for the missing kerbstone e.g. in the northwest section).

It is possible to drive to the Hunebed with your car, the last 300m you have to walk. Refer to the yellow line in the satellite image in Les Hamilton’s fieldnotes.

Visited July 2018

This is the “Janus-face” of all Hunebeds, as one half is visibile while the other half is buried under a mound. Still visible are three capstones, a very nice portal entrance and the ring of kerbstones. Unfortunately during my visit the grass on the mound was very high during my visit, so that the contours of the hill were not clearly visible.

Certainly there are bigger sites, but to get an impression how the Hunebeds might have looked like and how they were constructed, this is an ideal “model” site. Highly recommended to every modern antiquarian!

Visited July 2018

When you plan to visit the Hunebed twins in Noord-Sleen do yourself a favour and visit D51, the southern one, first. Otherwise you will probably be disappointed, because it is much smaller (12.3m x 3.5m) and in a poorer condition compared with its bigger and better preserved counterpart D50 Noord sleen.

Compared to older photos, also here on TMA, where the Hunebed seems to be more in an “open” environment, it is now more in a small clearing, thanks to the vegetation. From the original seven capstones, only three have survived, the second from the eastern end tilted into the chamber. From the portal one of the sidestones is missing and only two stone both on the eastern side still exists, generating a sizeably gap.

Visited July 2018

I totally agree with Les Hamiltion: This is the unsung hero of all Hunebeds in The Netherlands.

Away from the usual beaten tracks, this huge (17m x 4.4m) beauty still has most kerbstones (I counted twenty-four), seven of eight capstones along with sixteen sidestones and two endstones. The only flaw you might find is that only one of the portal stones is still present. Otherwise it is nearly perfect.

So this is a must see site, chances are very high that you can experience this site complete on your own, as D50 Noord sleen is, due to reasons unknown to me, not one of the most famous Hunebeds in Drenthe.

Highly recommended!

Visited July 2018

Most of the preserved Hunebeds are located on either side of an axis between Zuidlaren (in the north) and Emmen (in the south). Only the sites D52 Diever, D53 Havelteberg and D54 Havelteberg are a bit off in the west.

D52 Diever is a mid Hunebed, from originally seven capstones only one is missing. Access is very easy, Groningerweg passes directly by the gravethere and there is a small car park.

Visited July 2018

The smaller one (12.7m x 3.3m) of the Hunebed pair in Havelte, just 150m away from the bigger brother D53 Havelteberg. There are still six capstones along with all fourteen supporting stones. On the eastern end the capstone is missing as well as the endstone on this side. There is single stone laying on the southern part, probably one of the portal stone.

At the time of my visit, a work of modern totem poles was set up in the immediate vicinity of the Hunebeds. To be honest, a bit too close for my taste.

Visited July 2018

Wow, this is certainly one of the most beautiful Hunebed you’ll find in The Netherlands. Although it is only second in size (D27 Borger is bigger), I prefer this one, as it resides in a beautiful landscape, which adds to the atmosphere.

It is 18.9m long and 4.4m wide, twenty-one sidestones and two endstones are supporting nine capstones. Also the entrance is still there, complete with four portal stones and their capstone. Ten of the kerbstones are still present.

I arrived in the evening during the week but there were still many people walking around, as the whole surrounding is without doubt a popular recreation area. At least I would not be surprised, if at the weekend the place would be must more crowded. Approach and access is easy I parked at the beginning of Hunebeddenweg, from there is is only 150m to walk.

Visited July 2018

Although this boulder has an “official” number D48 Stone of Noordbarge it is not a Hunebed, but a glacial erratic. When it turned out that the stone is not a capstone of a Hunebed, number D48 was removed from the catalog list.

But as the access is very easy and the boulder is De Dik(ste) Stien van Drenthe (thickest stone of Drenthe) I stopped and had a quick look at it.

Visited July 2018

D14 Eexterhalte is one of the Hunebed giants (18m x 4.5m) with originally 9 capstones (6 still in place). Fragements with drillholes of one capstone lies in the western end. Also the entrance can clearly be traced and 7 kerb stones still exists.

As the Hunebed has its own car park, approach is very easy. Bring some snacks and something to drink with you, sit down and enjoy this lovely place!

Visited July 2018

D13 Eext is the only ”staircase” tomb in the Netherlands, which means that the chamber of this partially still in the hill located passage grave, was originally accessible via a steep staircase. The chamber consists of 3 supporting stone pairs and 2 end stones, which stands close to each other. Only one of the capstones remained.

That alone should be reason enough to visit the tomb. It is located in the southwest of Eext behing a large riding ground.

Visited July 2018

One of the less attractive Hunebed in Drentsche Aa National Park, but mainly because there are so many other more appealing Hunebeds in the vicinity. All that remains are seven stones, all three capstones are titled to one side, as all supporting stones on the western side are missing.

Like Les Hamiltion mentioned in his fieldguide there is now a signed access from Anderensweg heading north, but nevertheless I would recommend to follow his instruction via Venakkers street, especially if you arriving by car as this approach will keep you longer on a tarred road.

Visited July 2018

As I walked from D17 to D18, the whitish color of the stones and the large capstones, bent like a spine, reminded me of the skeleton of a dinosaur as seen in museums :-).

Visited July 2018

D17 Rolde and D18 Rolde are one the most famous Hundebeds pair in Drenthe. They lay opposite the beautiful medieval church Jacobskerk and its graveyard in north Rolde. There is a large car park and a small picnic area, so on summer weekends you might be not alone at the site. When I arrived I was the only person wandering around the Hunebeds, D17 Rolde is a little bit threatened by an old oak, D18 Rolde is the better preserved (or restored) of the two twins.

Visited July 2018

Wow, this Hunebed is impressive, nine capstones and their supportig sidestones pairs along with a complete entrance. Unfortunately I missed the cupmarks on one of the capstones, as I read Les Hamilton’s fieldnotes after my visit.

There are two approaches to visit the site: First one is to turn into Lienstukkenweg in (north) Balloo (there is a Hunebed sign, so this seems to be the official access), following this track for about 600m, after a sharp left turn the track is more a sandy field road, continue on the track for another 500m to reach the Hunebed. The second approach follows Les Hamilton’s image in his fieldnotes. There is a car park at N52° 59’ 35.6” E6° 37’ 26.2”, I parked there and walked through the scenic Kampsheide for about 1km to D16 Balloo.

Visited July 2018