Netherlands Travel - Drenthe Province
Since the Middle Ages, Drenthe has mostly been a sparsely populated agricultural area. Although the province is primarily used for agriculture, there is a minor industry in the towns of Assen (the provincial capital) and Emmen. Drenthe has a prehistoric past, and some of the oldest relics in the Netherlands can be found there. Ironically, before the Bronze Age, the region had one of the highest densities of people in the entire nation. The origins of 52 Neolithic monuments in Drenthe are still unknown; they are simply known as "hunebedden" (dolmens) but believed to be older than the English Stonehenge or the Egyptian Pyramids. When Vincent van Gogh visited the area early in his career, he depicted Dutch farmers at work, drawing inspiration from Drenthe.
So through this series of articles, I intend to share our stories and experiences of traveling across the Drenthe province of the Netherlands with our fellow photography and travel enthusiasts. I hope they help you plan your travels across this beautiful province!
Many nations have windmills, but the Netherlands has so many of them and they are such a significant part of the nation's industrial and cultural legacy that many people throughout the world associate windmills with the country. From the Middle Ages onward, windmills have been a defining feature of the Dutch countryside. In the heyday of the windmills during the 19th century, there were roughly 9,000 windmills in the country. Even though the Industrial Revolution replaced windmills with steam, diesel, and later electricity, over 1,000 antique windmills, many of which are still operational, still stand throughout the Netherlands thanks to historic preservation initiatives. Today, along with cheese, tulips, and clogs, they are among the most well-known images of Holland. For this reason, visiting a windmill has to be at the top of your travel itinerary when visiting the Netherlands.