Zuidlaardermeer and Hondsrug

The Landscape

The landscape south of Groningen is a mosaic of open plains, forests, lakes, and marshy polders. Dense woodlands, shimmering waters, and bird-rich nature reserves alternate in a peaceful rhythm, with stately country estates standing as quiet witnesses of the past. The vast marshy polders give the Zuilaardermeer region its distinctive sense of space and play a vital role in water management and nature restoration. It’s a place to unwind and enjoy the tranquility, open horizons, and natural beauty all around.

The Hondsrug is a long, winding sand ridge in the northern Netherlands, formed by ice and meltwater during the Ice Ages. As a dry route through a marshy landscape, it was the ideal place for settlement and travel for thousands of years. Here, Neanderthals hunted mammoths, megalithic builders erected giant burial monuments, and the first farmers established their villages. The landscape still bears their traces: from impressive dolmens and quiet burial mounds to mysterious sacrificial sites and ancient cart tracks on the heath.