Echten is a village in the

Dutch Dutch commonly refers to: * Something of, from, or related to the Netherlands * Dutch people () * Dutch language () Dutch may also refer to: Places * Dutch, West Virginia, a community in the United States * Pennsylvania Dutch Country People E ...

province of

Drenthe Drenthe () is a province of the Netherlands located in the northeastern part of the country. It is bordered by Overijssel to the south, Friesland to the west, Groningen to the north, and the German state of Lower Saxony to the east. As of Nov ...

and is part of the

De Wolden De Wolden () is a municipality in the northeastern Netherlands in the province of Drenthe. Population centres Topography ''Dutch topographic map of the municipality of De Wolden, June 2015'' Notable people * Jan Evertsen Cloppenburgh (15 ...

municipality. The ''

havezate A manor house was historically the main residence of the lord of the manor. The house formed the administrative centre of a manor in the European feudal system; within its great hall were held the lord's manorial courts, communal meals wi ...

'' Huis te Echten is located in the village.

History

Echten is an ''

esdorp __NOTOC__ An ''Angerdorf'' (plural: ''Angerdörfer'') is a type of village that is characterised by the houses and farmsteads being laid out around a central grassed area, the ''anger'' (from the Old High German ''angar'' =pasture or grassy place ...

'' which developed in the Middle Ages around . It was first mentioned in 1181 as "in villa Echtene". Huis te Echten was a ''

'' owned by the family who were in possession of the area, and oversaw the excavation the

peat Peat (), also known as turf (), is an accumulation of partially decayed vegetation or organic matter. It is unique to natural areas called peatlands, bogs, mires, moors, or muskegs. The peatland ecosystem covers and is the most efficien ...

. A ''havezate'' was a requirement to be admitted to the Knights of

. The estate is surrounded by a double

moat A moat is a deep, broad ditch, either dry or filled with water, that is dug and surrounds a castle, fortification, building or town, historically to provide it with a preliminary line of defence. In some places moats evolved into more extensive ...

. It has been modified and restored many times during its history. The oldest parts of the estate are from the late 15th century. It is currently in use for the blind and visually handicapped. In 1840, Echten was home to 210 people. In 1953, an air watchtower was constructed in the forest near Echten to spot enemy planes flying under the radar. The tower was in operation until 1964. A

sod house The sod house or soddy was an often used alternative to the log cabin during frontier settlement of the Great Plains of Canada and the United States in the 1800s and early 1900s. Primarily used at first for animal shelters, corrals, and fences, ...

has been reconstructed in the village as a reminder of the past conditions. Het Echtens Paradijs (The Paradise of Echten) is a nature area near the village.

Gallery

File:Zicht op Echten.jpg, View on the village File:Overzicht van de bovenzijde van de toren - Echten - 20425928 - RCE.jpg, Air watchtower File:Echten (50197594348).jpg, The harbour of Echten File:Echten - Plaggenhut met sneeuw.JPG, Sod house in winter

References

{{Authority control Populated places in Drenthe De Wolden