Sleen
Sleen is a village in Drenthe, Netherlands of about 2,500 people.
Sleen has been inhabited for centuries. Much ancient history can be found in the area, particularly in the forests. At birth and during the Republiek der Zeven Verenigde Nederlanden. Sleen became the capital of one of the six “dingspels” of Drenthe. When Drenthe was recognised as a province, Sleen became a municipality capital, before it merged into the municipality of Coevorden.
Getting to Sleen
The main roads traversing the municipality of Coevorden are the west-east A37 motorway and the north-south N34 expressway. The A37 connects Coevorden to Hoogeveen and the A28 motorway (Groningen-Zwolle) in the west, and to the German Western Plains region in the east. The N34 connects Coevorden to Emmen and Groningen in the north, and to Hardenberg in Overijssel province in the south.
Worth seeing
- 01Coevorden Castle
An 11th-century castle in the middle of the city.
- 02Stedelijk Museum
Housed in a monumental building in the centre of the city, the Stedelijk Museum documents the history of Coevorden.
- 03Museum Thijnhof
Art museum with both permanent and temporary exhibitions, mainly of contemporary art.
- 04Synagoge-Museum Coevorden
Museum about Jewish life in the province Drenthe in a former synagogue.
- 05Openluchtmuseum Ellert en Brammert
An open-air museum documenting much of Southeast Drenthe's cultural history.
Things to do
Coevorden is on the route of the Pieterpad, the most famous long distance walking trail of the Netherlands. The sixth stage ends in the village of Sleen; the seventh stage runs entirely within the municipality of Coevorden, from Sleen to the city of Coevorden; and the eighth stage starts there.
- 01Plopsa Indoor Coevorden
Dutch counterpart to Plopsa Indoor Hasselt and Plopsaland De Panne, this too is an indoor theme park tailored to young children.
Text adapted from Wikipedia and Wikivoyage, CC BY-SA 4.0. Photograph: Michielverbeek (see Commons), Wikimedia Commons.