Ysselsteyn, Helenaveen, America

This cycle route takes you through a landscape shaped by centuries of peat extraction. The Deurnsche Peel and Mariapeel were once impenetrable swamps, but they were radically changed by human hands. Peat, also known as ‘the gold of the Peel’, was dug out of the ground here by hard labour. Peel workers laboured in harsh conditions to extract this fuel for households and industries. Peat extraction not only shaped the landscape, but also determined the life and culture in this region.

Various places along the route serve as reminders of this history. The Peel Museum and Museum De Peelstreek allow you to discover how the Peel workers lived and worked, and how peat extraction radically changed the area. At the statue of the peat cutter, the heavy work of these workers becomes tangible, and from the Paardekop observation tower you get an impressive view of the landscape they left behind.

Hop off along the way, let the stories of De Peel sink in and experience the special history of this region in a unique way. The traces of the past are still there for th