Deck sand ridge Orvelte

A unique history

The geological monument Dekzandridge Orvelte is a 10 km long sand ridge in the heart of Drenthe. The ridge is up to three meters higher than its surroundings; the villages of Westerbork and Orvelte are built on it. The Dekzandridge Orvelte hides a history of its formation under the influence of ice, wind, water and man.

About 240,000 120,000 years ago, the northern part of the Netherlands was covered with land ice and the boulder clay plateau of Drenthe was formed. An ice lobe from the north-east pushed up a low ridge, enclosed by stream valleys. During the last ice age, about 116,000 to 12,000 years ago, there was no ice here, but enormous amounts of sand blew over Drenthe and covered the boulder clay ridge. The Dekzandridge Orvelte is one of the geological pearls of Drenthe. This sand ridge was designated as a geological monument in 2017 by the province of Drenthe, in collaboration with the municipality of Midden-Drenthe, Staatsbosbeheer and IVN (Institute for Nature Education and Sustainability).

Human Influence

From about 10,000 years ago, people lived here. In the late Middle Ages, the typical Drenthe esdorp landscape gradually arose with villages on the flank of a stream valley. Due to intensive land use, the sand started to drift after the Middle Ages and some drifting sand areas were created. Later, these shifting sands were overgrown with heather.

When artificial fertilizer was introduced, the large heaths were cleared for fields, meadows or forest. Around 1950 came the land consolidation. Agriculture became larger-scale, but attention was also paid to the preservation of land for nature conservation. Orvelte became a protected village.

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