Boetelerveld - Marienheem

If you want to know what the former Sallandse Heide looked like, you should visit the Boetelerveld. This is the last piece of wet heath remaining from the former vast Sallandse Heide. Moreover, wet or damp heathland is almost nowhere to be found anymore. That you can see it here is very special and pure coincidence.

In the early 1950s, the area was supposed to be reclaimed. The machines were even ready, but when the Watersnoodle disaster occurred in February 1953, all the equipment had to be moved to Zeeland and South Holland as soon as possible. After that, people thought differently about clearing the land. The Boetelerveld provided a unique picture of what the wasteland around Raalte looked like in the time of the Marken. They wanted to preserve that. It is so special that it has been designated a Natura 2000 area by Europe.

Fortunately, because the Boetelerveld is a beautiful, varied nature area. Water plays a major role. There are two natural heath pools: the Grote Rietgat and the Kleine Turfgat. There are also constructed drinking pools for the large herbivores on the heath.

The rare crested newt has found its home here, as have many other amphibians, insects and mammals. The special landscape type also allows rare plant species to grow, such as juniper thickets, bell gentian and lesser sundew.