DRENTHE HERITAGE LINES
HERITAGE STORIES AS A STRATEGY FOR TOURISM (2018)

Paul Meurs, Marinke Steenhuis, in cooperation with Annet Kampinga

photography: Sake Elzinga

design: Paulien Varkevisser, Nijmegen

commissioned by: Province of Drenthe (Marc Kocken, Marko Vuijk and Mauro Smit)

The province of Drenthe and the municipalities in Drenthe asked us to develop a ‘strategic narrative’, in which the story of the heritage (the ‘narrative’) is strategically deployed for recreation and tourism. In terms of leisure time economy, Drenthe is the leading province in the Netherlands. It is the ideal place for cycling, hiking, to practise other sports and to enjoy a great landscape. The heritage of Drenthe is not widely known, except for the megaliths of course. That is actually remarkable, since the beautiful landscape of Drenthe was created partly by human hands in the course of thousands of years. There are traces of that to be found in the sandy soil and in the peatlands, for example of prehistoric habitation, medieval farming communities, the pioneers of peat cultivation, and the paupers who came from all over the country to the Colonies of Benevolence in order to be re-educated. Every municipality in Drenthe boasts exceptional heritage, and as a whole this constitutes a historical treasure that is incomparable to what can be found in the rest of the country or even abroad. Each of the Drenthe heritage lines refers to the way in which man has created his place in Drenthe’s nature. That is why there is an introductory story about the nature and landscape of Drenthe, which offers the gateway to a different world. The heritage of Drenthe is described in six heritage lines, from prehistoric times to the post-war period. Each story has its destinations. But the heritage lines are forever in progress. Each story can have other stories added to it or be linked with other destinations. The heritage lines can be combined or further developed to make up a succession of other arrangements. Consequently, the stories become destinations.