A small piece of history of Grolloo

Grolloo - the green hart of Drenthe

No map is so old or you can find Grolloo. Grolloo is a village with surrounding agricultural grounds. The village is based on the first settlements of farmers. And it stayed for ages like this. Only in the second half of the 20th century we see that the earnings come from other sources. One of these is recreation. This one is becoming more and more important. It plays already a big role, where jobs are concerned.

In the history Grolloo is known by the gatherings at the Grollerholt. A place in the woods where country-man came together and talked about public matters or justice. It is known that from the 16th century on the meetings where in the woods nearby Grolloo.

For Grolloo you can say that there is still a very tight social and solid country-side community. From kid to elderly you can find many activities. A lot of societies or clubs exist by the fact that there are many volunteers. The village, with only 600 inhabitants, is proud that so many activities can be presented to the local people, but also to the visitors.



The "Grollerholt"

In the Grollerholt (Grollerwood) is an open space. In the midst you can find a big stone, surrounded by six smaller ones. The open space is for centuries long been a gathering place for the "Drentse Landdag" (representatives of the province). A strange place in the middle of the old forest, but also very typical Drents. The old German tribes also gathered in open spaces in the woods. The Drentse farmers were called by the sound of the "farmers"-horn. Normally they talked about things in the open air, under the oak trees, in the centre of the village. When you see the Grollerholt it is hard to imagine that in this place so many important decisions were made.

On April the 1st 1580 Drenthe decided - in the Grollerholt - to join the Union of Utrecht. At this place in 1602 the "Landdag" swear loyalty to the "Staten-Generaal" (Government) and became the Reformed Religion the official religion. In 1602 they also decided to have the meetings in the closed convent "Maria in Campis" in Assen. Now and then there were some gatherings in the Grollerholt, as in 1632 for the appointment to office of the governor and in 1685 for the new taskmaster.

Protestant Church


The church and the pastor-house form a complete picture with the stylish farm houses of the village. A large stone above the main door of the church shows the year 1853. This simplistic church building has a small, sharp pointed tower. In the tower there is a bell from 1422, bought in Heiligerlee. Every Saturday evening at six and every Sunday morning at nine and also at the beginning of the service, the bell rings. The church bell also rings for Schoonloo, Papenvoort en Vredeheim, because these villages belong to the church community of Grolloo/Schoonloo. When someone passes away, they ring the bell the next morning at eight a clock. This is also done on the day of the funeral.
Before 1853 the inhabitants of Grolloo ad the other surrounding villages went by foot to the church of Rolde. The sandy roads were often impassable. The distances to walk was 2 to 9 kilometres. They began to think of there own church. Three times they sent a request to King William III. The king refused. He believed that such a small community couldn't maintain a church.
The persisting people won. Eventually the King gave his permission. It was very special that all 47 families offered large amounts of money. The land to build the church on was given by the family Hoben. They started the building of the church and in 1854 the first service could take place. You can find the names of the man, who spent a lot of effort in this achievement, on the front wall of the church. The house of the pastor is of the same age.
We enter the church through the meeting area. The tiles or laid on sand. Over these we walk into the liturgical centre. It is simplistic but tasteful. Here you see the pulpit, the table of the last meal, the cross and the Easter candle. Next to that you see the simple christening bowl. The evening meal dish exists of a tin plate, a cup and a can. The bible is from 1709. For the pulpit hangs a small electrical chandelier, a gift from the family Huizing from Grolloo in 1953. The candle chandelier was a gift from the Government of Drenthe at the renovation of the church in 1976.
On the wall behind the pulpit is a beret knob mounted. On the pulpit you see an original oil lamp, which can be lowered by pulleys to adjust the light. On the left and on the right you find the church council benches.
Only in 1905 the church got a stove and in about 1960 this stove was replaced by hot air heating. At this moment the church is renovated twice. In 1937 and in 1976. The church stands still in the centre of the community live. Next to the services, the Easter tours, the children Christmas celebration, the world day of prayer and the concerts have an important place in the open relation ship between church and villages.

Surrounding of Grolloo

The fast state forests around Grolloo were established in the years of crisis before the Second World War. Before this the village was, next to the agricultural ground, surrounded by heath.

Activity

Grolloo is a place where there are still a lot of stores and community buildings. There is a school, a house of the village, a sport centre. There is a supermarket, a painter, a building company, a plumber, farm shops and a hairdresser. Also there are some art-galleries.