The 'New beginning' route, which starts in Hoogeveen, focuses on the person Vincent van Gogh and what we can learn from the letters he wrote to his brother Theo throughout his time in Drenthe.
Inspired by other artists’ stories, Vincent van Gogh mov…
The 'New beginning' route, which starts in Hoogeveen, focuses on the person Vincent van Gogh and what we can learn from the letters he wrote to his brother Theo throughout his time in Drenthe.
Inspired by other artists’ stories, Vincent van Gogh moved to Drenthe in the autumn of 1883. He arrived at the train station in Hoogeveen and travelled onwards by trekschuit (tugged-boat) to South-East Drenthe a few weeks later. These walking routes will allow you to walk a mile in Van Gogh's shoes. Discover the locations where he stayed, painted and drew. The walking routes will allow you to discover what Vincent experienced here as they lead you through the landscape with which he fell in love. We have four Van Gogh Drenthe walking routes available.
Parking and public transport
There is plenty of parking at Hoogeveen station (Stationsplein 6, 7901 AA Hoogeveen).
Signposting
The routes are marked with brown and white signs throughout the landscape. Along the way, you can find additional information on the info panels. At some locations, see-through panels have been installed. These allow you to capture the landscape of today and times past.
This route will take you past partly unpaved, occasionally boggy roads.
This route is therefore not wheelchair-friendly.
The walking guide can be bought at local Tourist Info Points.
If you want to stay overnight in Drenthe like Vincent van Gogh did, have a look at https://www.visitdrenthe.com/home
To avoid any nuisance from the local flora and fauna, we recommend wearing long trousers and good walking shoes.
One of the first people Van Gogh met in Drenthe must have been Albert Hartsuiker. He was a railway employee and owned a lodging house.
We've left the city and are now walking in the peace and quiet of the Oude Diep basin. Thoughts flow naturally when people are in a tranquil environment.
Zwartschaap, or Black Sheep, is a neighbourhood on the road of the same name in the municipality of Hoogeveen.
Shortly after Van Gogh arrived in Drenthe, forests were planted here as an investment by the owner of the Kremboong sugar factory on Java.
This region is described as ‘Siberië’ (Siberia) on old maps. The area probably got that name in the French period because it was remote and deserted.
Now you're at Wijken van Eleveld. The water channels, also called ‘wijken’, date from the peat time and are still present here in their original state.
