Pastime #9 — Veenhuizen: A Better Kind of Society?

📅 Saturday, 17 October 2026
🕜 13:30
📍 General van den Boschweg, Veenhuizen

What if poverty could be solved simply by building a better society?

In the early 19th century, the Netherlands was changing fast.

Industrialisation promised progress, but for many people it also meant overcrowded cities, unemployment and extreme poverty.
A group of idealistic reformers thought they had an answer.

Beginning in 1818, the Society of Benevolence created a series of agricultural colonies in remote parts of the Netherlands. Poor families would be taken out of the cities, given work, education and discipline, and — at least in theory — transformed into self-sufficient citizens.

Then came Veenhuizen.

Established in 1823 as an unfree colony, it became home to thousands of orphans, beggars and vagrants living and working under supervision. What began as an ambitious experiment in social reform gradually developed into something rather different — and Veenhuizen would eventually become inseparable from the Dutch prison system.

Today, the landscape still tells that story.

For the next Pastime, we’ll walk through Veenhuizen and the surrounding Drenthe countryside, discovering the remains of this extraordinary attempt to redesign both a landscape and the people living in it.

We’ll explore how architecture, agriculture, work and discipline were all used as tools of social engineering — and how an Enlightenment dream of improving society could sit surprisingly close to coercion and punishment.

The Colonies of Benevolence are now a UNESCO World Heritage Site, recognised as one of the most remarkable surviving examples of this 19th-century experiment.

### 🍺 And afterwards...

Fortunately, Veenhuizen’s experiments did not end in the 19th century.

Once the walk is over, we’ll head to Brouwerij Maallust, a brewery located inside the former grain mill of the colony itself.

So we’ll finish the afternoon in the only appropriate way: sitting inside another piece of Veenhuizen’s history, trying some locally brewed beer and seeing what became of one small corner of this rather unusual social experiment.

History first. Beer afterwards.

Some Pastime traditions are worth preserving.

### 🚶 Practical information

We meet at 13:30 at the General van den Boschweg bus stop in Veenhuizen.

Expect a substantial walk through both the historic settlement and the surrounding landscape, so wear comfortable shoes and dress for October weather in Drenthe.

The brewery visit and drinks are optional and paid individually.

As always, the exact route remains a surprise.

See you in Veenhuizen.