You have a beautiful view of the ‘es’ of the village from this spot. The ‘es’ (plural ‘essen’) is a higher agricultural field where food for people and animals was grown. Over the years they became higher and higher because they were fertilised with the turf from the sheepfold.
The soil here was so poor that nothing woul…
You have a beautiful view of the ‘es’ of the village from this spot. The ‘es’ (plural ‘essen’) is a higher agricultural field where food for people and animals was grown. Over the years they became higher and higher because they were fertilised with the turf from the sheepfold.
The soil here was so poor that nothing would grow without the sheep manure. Each village had its own shepherd with a herd. The shepherds left early in the morning with their flocks for the heath and usually returned just before sunset. During his day trip to Zweeloo, Vincent probably encountered two shepherds with a herd. The first at the church in Zweeloo and the second at Achterste Erm at the end of the day.
