Historic Thatch Roof Farms

Orvelte is a museum village in Drenthe, in the northeast of the Netherlands, and its main treasure is a group of old farms with thatched roofs. The village has been preserved as a living open-air museum, where cars are kept out and the streets are paved with brick and cobbles. Walking through it gives a sense of how a farming community in the sandy north lived over many generations, and the thatched farmhouses are the core of that picture.

The farms follow the Saxon type, a style of farmhouse common in the eastern and northern Netherlands and across the border in northern Germany. It is a long building that combines living quarters, a barn and stables under one great roof, which is covered in thick thatch of reed or straw. The family lived at one end, and the cattle were kept in the other, with a central threshing floor between, so that the warmth of the animals helped to heat the house. The beams are timber, the walls are brick or clay, and the thatched roof reaches almost to the ground, which gives the buildings their distinctive low, sheltering shape.

Orvelte itself is an old village, with origins in the Middle Ages, built around an open green space in the typical Drenthe style. In the twentieth century, as farming modernised and many old farms were abandoned or demolished, the area was bought and restored so that this form of settlement could be saved. The farms were repaired and refurnished, and today some are lived in, while others house museums, workshops and small shops. Traditional crafts are demonstrated, including a blacksmith's forge where you can watch metal being worked at the fire.

The pace of life in the village is slow, and the experience is gentle. Visitors can walk the lanes, look into barns, learn about old trades and enjoy refreshments in a farmhouse cafe. Seasonal events bring more activity, and children enjoy seeing animals and trying traditional games. The surrounding landscape of fields, heath and woodland is typical of Drenthe, and cycling routes link the village with nearby hunebedden and nature areas.

The village suits families, photographers and anyone interested in rural heritage. Wear comfortable shoes for the uneven paving, and check opening times and entrance arrangements before visiting.