Dwingeloo

Dwingeloo (Drents: Dwingel) – a town in the municipality of Westerveld in Drenthe province (Netherlands). The first mention of Dwingeloo village comes from 1181. The name of the village might come from:

“thingan” (conquer) and “lauha” / “loo” (forest) – “clearing in the forest”,
“thwangi” (belt) and “lauha” / “loo” (forest) – “a narrow piece of land covered with forest”;
“dwing” (legal district) and “lauha” / “loo” (forest) – “a state forest”.

Sights / Things to do in Dwingeloo and in the surroundings:

The large green Brink in the center of the village (in September 2011 Dwingeloo got the title of “the greenest village in Europe”)., with Schultehuis – the official residence of the Schulte (mayor) – from late 17th century.
St. Nicholas Church (Sint-Nicolaaskerk) – from early 15th century.
Statue of the lady of Batinghe by Charles Henri de Vries. There is a legend about the ladywho drove by every day during the construction of the St. Nicholas Church. She liked the architect of the church – and the feeling was mutual, therefore the architect could not focus on this job. The damsel of Drenthe and her father, lord of Batinge, decided to send the lady on a journey. But before that she told her beloved one what should be the shape of the church spire.
Oldengaerde house – a well-preserved Drenthe manor (with canal system) from the 15th century.
National Park Dwingelderveld – a large forest and heath area.
Dwingeloo Radio Observatory – a large radio telescope and the Planetron. Radio telescope was completied in 1956 as the largest radio telescope in the world, from 2000 – not in official operation and from 2009 – a national heritage site. The telescope discovered two galaxies in the constellation Cassiopeia: Dwingeloo 1 and Dwingeloo 2 .