De Braak, Historic park in Paterswolde, Netherlands
De Braak is a forest park spanning 29 hectares that combines ponds, ancient trees, meadows, and winding paths designed in English landscape style. The structure is shaped by artificially created hills that resulted from soil excavation work.
The estate was established around 1700 by Lieutenant ter Voet van Schelfhorst and named after his wife. In 1825, a landscape architect reshaped it, creating the current ponds, peninsulas, and hills.
The name comes from the wife of the original estate owner, and today the layout shows the careful hand of a landscape designer who positioned paths and water features with purpose. Visitors notice this intentional design as they walk, discovering how routes reveal views across ponds and hills.
The park is accessible through a Renaissance-style entrance gate, with a restored 1919 kiosk near the entry where visitors can buy refreshments. The laid-out paths are easy to explore on foot throughout, with various routes leading through all areas of the grounds.
The park holds trees older than 350 years and serves as a migration corridor for toads in spring as they move between nearby wetlands. This yearly passage makes the site an important crossing point for amphibians in the region.
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