Landschapsbiografie van Westerwolde

Abstract

Westerwolde has a wide variety of special cultural landscapes: from the unique monastic landscape of Ter Apel in the south, the still very well-preserved esdorp landscape along the Ruiten Aa with its old settlements, ash trees, heaths and stream valleys, the historic defense line around Bourtange and Oudeschans to to the expansive peat reclamation landscapes at Vriescheloo and Bellingwolde. Few regions in the Northern Netherlands have so many special cultural-historical relics and such a richly layered history with so many special historical stories. Due to the different soil types, Westerwolde has a highly varied agricultural history that has determined the rural area to this day. Westerwolde's hydraulic history also has a face of its own. In addition, the region is also rich in all kinds of nature: in the stream valleys of Runde, Ruiten Aa, Mussel Aa and Westerwoldse Aa, in the woods and moors, but also in the farmland with its numerous wooded banks, canals, arable flora and bushes. It is precisely the intensive connection between nature and culture that has grown over the centuries that makes this area so important and versatile. The 'Landscape Biography of Westerwolde' is also a biography of people at the same time. Over the centuries, dozens of generations of residents, as well as passers-by and outsiders, have made the landscape what it is today, and will continue to do so now and in the future. For that reason, this biography also pays a lot of attention to their lives, their motivations, their activities and their visible traces in the current landscape. This is a scientifically sound, accessible written story about the origin, qualities and future possibilities of the landscape in this region. The biography is richly illustrated with landscape photos, maps and landscape reconstructions that reflect the different life stages of Westerwolde.