Route 33: De Korenbloem Vriescheloo

The parish of Vriescheloo consisted of the villages Vriescheloo and Lutjeloo. Over the centuries, the village moved eastwards. Vriescheloo owned and still owns many farms.

From the village of Vriescheloo, this route first passes through a section of the Engbert Drenth forest. Engbert Drenth was mayor of the municipality of Bellingwedde from 1979-2007 and realised more than 2,500 hectares of new nature in Westerwolde. In gratitude for this, Staatsbosbeheer has named this forest after him.

The route then passes through an area that has changed considerably due to land consolidation in the 1980s.

The road Zodendijk is a reminder that there used to be a dike here, which had to protect the residents of Vriescheloo from the high water of the Westerwoldse Aa.

You pass Oud Wedderveen, an old settlement, where there are still some scattered houses.
The sandy paths you walk here used to be found everywhere in Westerwolde. In summer, they were quite passable, but in wet periods they were often impassable.

After this, you pass through a former heathland area that used to be called Wedderheide (Wedderheide has recently reappeared as a hamlet sign).
Vogelzang used to be a moorland on the south/eastern edge of Vriescheloo (part of the Loosterheide). Initially, there were plaggen huts here, later shabby workers' cottages.

During the land consolidation, almost everything disappeared. Nowadays, you will find some woods and scattered buildings. Vogelzang was a separate area, generally inhabited by people who were not very well off.

Your departure and arrival point is mill "De Korenbloem" where de molenaar will be happy to tell you about its history.

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This is a route of the Walking in Westerwolde Foundation. You can still sign up as a sponsor for this route. Mail to info@wandeleninwesterwolde.nl