Dolmen D16 - Balloo

Hunebed 16 in Balloo is also surrounded by mystery. When professor Albert Giffen found the dolmen in 1918, he said it was "in a sorry state, so that its original condition can only be partly guessed at". What happened then would never be allowed now, in 1954 Van Giffen's team brought the dolmen to its present form, based on assumptions (guesswork). For example, the 9 capstones that had slipped off the side stones were put back in place.
Over the years, stones occasionally slipped off, which were later fixed with steel pins (dowels). During those repairs, large splinters jumped off some stones.

The Danish archaeologist Petersen, who conducted research on the dolmens around 1987, noticed a number of cup-shaped hollows at the sixth capstone of D16. The origin and function of these so-called "cupmarks" is not known. One possible explanation is that they had a ritual or ceremonial function, but an astronomical, calendar, or symbolic function is also among the possibilities.

This megalith grave can be reached via a sandy path, which is poorly passable in wet weather. It is located north of Kampsheide nature reserve and east of the protected Drentse Aa stream valley landscape.