First published: 03/10/24.

Tony H. 1.5

Colonies Of Benevolence

Colonies of Benevolence (Inscribed)

Colonies of Benevolence by Tony H.

I visited in April 2024 the town of Frederiksoord. I parked my car to the Museum de Proefkolonie which was going through renovations at the time but the museum and its restaurant were fully operational. I decided to skip the museum exhibition but I went to ask help for exploring the town. The staff at the museum were very helpful and provided me with a map of different walking and cycling routes around Frederiksoord and Wilhelminaoord and a small booklet about the history of the free colonies. The staff recommended the green route which was titled "Sterrebosroute" and the route seemed to go around the whole town and all the sights of interest so I decided to follow the recommendation.

The walking routes were well marked so it was easy to follow them. The day was warm and sunny spring day so it was a perfect day for a leisurely stroll. I explored the horticultural school garden which was still quite dead in April but the horticultural school (pictured) next to it was a beautiful building. Across the school is the hotel of Frederiksoord and the old post office which are also both very beautiful buildings. The hotel is still in operation so you can also stay in Frederiksoord if you want. Along the route there were information signs of all the sights of interest both in English and Dutch which was very helpful. The route mostly zigzagged through the Sterrebos forest that was not very interesting except that it demonstrated the colonists love for straight lines with its paths. Other highlights in Frederiksoord were the forestry school and the Koloniehuisje, a typical house where the farmers lived. It took me about 1.5 hours to finish the Sterrebosroute that I combined partly with the Monumentenroute that goes all the way to Wilhelminaoord. There's also signed walk around the horticultural school garden called Van Swieten Tuinbouwschool route. I didn't venture all the way to Wilhelminaoord but it's a walking distance away from Frederiksoord. You can also rent bicycles from the old farmhouse next to the Museum de Proefkolonie. The museum also provides a 26km long audio journey for cycling that visits Frederiksoord, Wilhelminaoord, Westvierdeparten and Willemsoord.

While it was a nice walk on a sunny warm day, Frederiksoord isn't that exciting town to visit and the weather definitely made the experience much better than it would have been on a rainy day. Visitor experience is well-organized as is the case in the Dutch WH sites generally. I'm happy they have these routes and information signs along the routes that make the history of the free colonies alive. But there are no big highlights or wow moments and the town looks like every other Dutch town, so if it wasn't a WHS I most likely would never visit there. I didn't visit the museum exhibition so I can't comment if it will make the visit to the colonies better.

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