Eext is a village in the
Dutch province of
Drenthe
Drenthe () is a provinces of the Netherlands, province of the Netherlands located in the northeastern part of the country. It is bordered by Overijssel to the south, Friesland to the west, Groningen (province), Groningen to the north, and the G ...
. It is a part of the municipality of
Aa en Hunze, and lies about 12 km east of
Assen. There are three ''hunebedden'' (
dolmen
A dolmen () or portal tomb is a type of single-chamber megalithic tomb, usually consisting of two or more upright megaliths supporting a large flat horizontal capstone or "table". Most date from the early Neolithic (40003000 BCE) and were so ...
) near the village.
History
The village was first mentioned in 1309 as "in villis Esethe". The etymology is unclear. Eext is an ''
esdorp'' from the Early Middle Ages which is located on the
Hondsrug. It has been known to exist as early as 944. It has one large ''brink'' (village square) on the south side and four smaller ''brinks'' on the north side.
The Dutch Reformed church is a simple
neoclassical church from 1841.
The
peat
Peat (), also known as turf (), is an accumulation of partially decayed vegetation or organic matter. It is unique to natural areas called peatlands, bogs, mires, moors, or muskegs. The peatland ecosystem covers and is the most efficien ...
around Eext has been excavated in the 18th century, and around 1875, the heaths were cultivated.
Eext was home to 425 people in 1840.
Eext used to have a railway station on the
Gasselternijveen to
Assen railway between 1905 and 1947. It has a building in
expressionist style which is in use by the nearby camping as the reception. In the early-20th century, new rails have been laid near the station by the municipality.
Since 2017, there is annual equestrian competition in the village.
Dolmen
There are three ''hunebedden'' (
dolmen
A dolmen () or portal tomb is a type of single-chamber megalithic tomb, usually consisting of two or more upright megaliths supporting a large flat horizontal capstone or "table". Most date from the early Neolithic (40003000 BCE) and were so ...
) near Eext.
The ''hunebed'' is a small dolmen with three capstones. Several stones are missing. is a tiny dolmen which is partially submerged. It is interesting, because it is a stair case to an underground burial chamber.
''Hunebed'' is a large dolmen with six capstones and is reasonably complete. The eastern stone used to rest on a little pillar, however it has been fixed into place by medal pins. In 2019, one of the capstones was pushed off the dolmen. It is assumed it was act of vandalism, because it could not have fallen off. As of 2021, scientist are still planning how to put it back in place.
Transportation
There is no railway station any more. The nearest station is
Assen station. Bus 59 operates through the village.
For further information see
Aa en Hunze#Transportation.
Gallery
File:Eext Station Eexterhalte.JPG, Former railway station
File:Tolhuisje Annerweg Eext.jpg, Former toll house
File:Dorpsgezicht van Eext2 ca 1810 door Egbert van Drielst (1745-1818).jpg , Painting of Eext by Egbert van Drielst ( 1810)
File:Hunebed D12 02.jpg, Dolmen D12
References
{{Authority control
Populated places in Drenthe
Aa en Hunze