Witte Veen, Nature reserve in Haaksbergen, Netherlands
Witte Veen covers approximately 294 hectares of peatland, heath fields, and forested sections positioned at the Dutch-German border. Visitors traverse the terrain using walking paths that wind through rough grasslands and shallow pools.
The area contains boundary markers from the 18th century made of Bentheim sandstone that once demarcated the Netherlands-Germany border. The region formerly served as a smuggling corridor before becoming a nature reserve.
The reserve displays the classic features of raised bog with sphagnum mosses and cotton grass that visitors notice while walking through. Cross-border management with German conservation groups has kept the natural landscape largely unchanged since earlier times.
Access to the area is available through a parking lot near the Haarmühle restaurant and water mill. The ground is rough and muddy in places, so sturdy footwear and weather-appropriate clothing are advisable.
The southern section called Markslag harbors a growing population of tree frogs that increasingly inhabit this bog-forest transition area. The region supports 31 bee species, including three endangered varieties that attentive visitors may observe.
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