Sunset on the engbertsdijksvenen by Martijn van Steenbergen

The Engbertsdijksvenen (local names: De 24 akkers or De Pluus) is a state nature reserve in Overijssel, near Kloosterhaar east of Westerhaar-Vriezenveensewijk close to the German border. The area is managed by Staatsbosbeheer. It covers about 1,000 hectares, with extensive moors with heathlands and fens. It is a remnant of the large peat bog that once covered the northeastern part of the Netherlands. The fact that 17 of the 25 hectares of living raised bog in the Netherlands can be found here marks its great natural value. The area is part of the European network of protected nature reserves: Natura 2000. Different landscapes are located a short distance from each other. The area has clear height differences. The sandy higher parts are called hairs, the highest are covered with forest. The toponym 'haar' appears in several names of villages in the area such as Kloosterhaar, Westerhaar-Vriezenveensewijk and Bruinehaar. In the 15th century, monks from the monastery in Sibculo started excavating raised bogs. In the Engbertsdijksvenen, man's influence was limited to sheep grazing, buckwheat brandy cultivation and small-scale peat extraction for personal use until the 19th century. The large-scale colonial peat extraction with its associated linear allotment took place in the period 1850-1950. The construction of canals and districts in the period 1890-1895 was the impetus for large-scale peat extraction from Vriezenveenschewijk.