Helenaveen

Historic Helenaveen
Helenaveen is located between the nature reserves The Deurne Peel and The Maria Peel, a beautiful area which is perfect for cycling and hiking. Helenaveen was founded in the time of the peat colonies and is nowadays a national heritage site. For the peat reclamation, the people used the so-called three-tooth system, where small canals lead to a larger side canal, dug parallel to the Helenavaart. That canal was directly linked to the main canal, allowing the peat to be transported by ships. Nowadays, there are plenty of cozy sidewalk cafés next to this main canal, the Helenavaart, where you can get a drink or grab a delicious bite to eat. Helenaveen offers various attractive possibilities to spend the night and it plays host to fun events on a regular basis.

The black gold
Peat was also called the black gold and the owners of the extraction companies were very wealthy men. The lands were worked by simple peat cutters, hard-working men. One of them once found a genuine golden Roman helmet, which can still be seen at the RMO in Leiden. In Helenaveen, you can still visit the monument placed at the location where the helmet was found.

Royal farmsteads
The Helenavaart is the backdrop for a number of monumental farms, the so-called royal farmsteads. After the year 1900, peat cutting became less prominent and a new age dawned. Instead of peat cutting, agriculture now became the new main source of income in Helenaveen. Between the years 1908 and 1920, the royal farmsteads were constructed with the support of King William III, which is the direct reason for their royal names.