Hoogeveen

Hoogeveen is the capital of the municipality of the same name in the south of the province of Drenthe in the Netherlands.

The history of the peat of the current municipality of Hoogeveen has been documented since 1551. That year, Reinold van Burmania and his wife bought the so-called Meppense Venen, the southeast half of the municipality. In 1625, Roelof van Echten exchanged an area of 2000 morgen for promised services and infrastructure with the farmers of Steenbergen and Ten Arlo. The area was once owned by the Lord of Ruinen. In 1631, both areas were combined, and the actual history of peat extraction began. Before that, the General Company of 5000 Morgen was established. The excavated peat was transported via a canal over water to Meppel and beyond. Smaller canals, known as wijken, were dug across this canal at intervals of 160 meters apart. This distance was still manageable for a laborer to cover with a wheelbarrow full of turf. Thus, a grid of intersecting canals was created. Through new canals, the upgoing ones, systems of wijken further in the peat were also connected to the Hoogeveense Vaart. Street names such as 'Hollandscheveldsche Opgaande' and 'Zuideropgaande' are reminders of those canals.

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