Hunebedcentrum
‘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.”
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