History of de Vechtvallei
De Vechtvallei has been around since 1972! We are proud of our unique history! Through a lot of hard work, a very special and beautiful place has been created here, where people have enjoyed, experienced, and found peace over the years.
Did you know that these lands were still wild and barren before 1850? Nothing but oak forests, underbrush, and heath. A merchant from Ommen saw an opportunity and bought the land. He had a farm built on the spot where the Stork now stands. Unfortunately, he never lived to see it, but his wife and son moved in. They eventually sold it to a family named Tempelman. For years, it remained in the family. The land was expanded by cultivating hectares of heathland. The government allowed anyone who cultivated it to keep it! The land was manually plowed, meter by meter.
During the war, many people in this region hid from the occupying forces, and this property was no exception. However, not in the farmhouse, as there were too many young children who might accidentally let something slip. Instead, a hiding place was dug behind the old shed, complete with a 25-meter escape tunnel leading toward the Vecht, in case it was needed. A downed RAF pilot spent several nights in this tunnel before he was able to rejoin the skies in Stegeren. After the war, the shelter was used for a few more years as storage.
Gerrit Willem Hutten, the last heir, grew tired of the meager income from farming. He took over the land from his father but already had an earth-moving business. The current eetcafé soon housed several excavation machines. The window sections under the veranda still have the width of the old garage doors.
Around 1972, a large-scale land consolidation took place in the region, in which Mr. Bollemaat played a prominent role. The nearby bike tunnel is named after him. The property originally had 13 hectares of land. Five hectares were added to the land pool to be distributed among the farmers, but the remaining 8 hectares had to be designated for a campsite. And so it was. The existing tree belts had to be preserved, and a campsite was born! The first name was Hunneschans, inspired by the ancient sand banks still intact on the campsite.
The Hunne people, giants as you may know, gave their name to nearby burial mounds (hunebedden) in Drenthe. In 1980, the campsite was bought at auction by the Hakkers family, who already owned the campsite De Kleine Belties. With more sons than could fit at one campsite, Father Hakkers bought the campsite for the other sons. They gave the property the name De Rheezerkamp. Later, the Hakkers family acquired a third campsite, De Klimberg. De Rheezerkamp is the name of the area as it appears on old maps.
In 2006, Van de Berg bought the campsite and named it De Vechtvallei. And that's how it remained! Since 2019, "Everyone happy at De Vechtvallei" has been the mission of Aaron and Annemarie, who bought the campsite at that time. Together with their staff, they are dedicated to making your vacation a success, as far as it depends on them!
