Popular holiday destination

As early as 1928, Ruinen was already praised as a holiday destination. The booklet ‘Naar Drenthe, toeristisch vakantieoord bij uitstek’ (To Drenthe, Utopia for Tourists and Holidaymakers) celebrated the landscape for its “unspoilt natural beauty”. Visitors could wander or cycle for miles along quiet forest paths and across wide heathlands.

Iconic attraction
Tourism only truly took off after World War II. People gained more leisure time and paid holidays, and many discovered the peace and open space of Drenthe. The local tourist office (VVV) was established in 1948, followed a year later by the sheepfold of Ruinen, which soon became an iconic attraction. From that point on, things moved fast. In the 1960s, the open-air swimming pool ‘Engeland’  was opened and the windmill ‘De Zaandplatte’ was rebuilt.

Holiday park
In 1950 several local residents took the initiative to create the first bungalow park: Kampeercentrum de Wiltzangh. Located near the sheepfold, the park began with sixteen simple bungalows without running water. Stone bungalows were added in the 1960s. As Ruinen grew in popularity, small bungalow parks sprang up throughout the area.

Theehuys Anserdennen
In the same year, a caravan was placed on a plot beside a cycle path. This modest start developed into Theehuys Anserdennen, a popular resting place for walkers and cyclists. Lacking running water, electricity or sewerage at first, it gradually grew into a well-known destination for school outings, due in no small part to its playground. Plans were once considered to expand the site with holiday accommodation, but this proved impossible because of its location within the protected Dwingelderveld nature reserve. Perhaps just as well, as the peace, simplicity and surrounding nature are precisely what make this place so special.