Nederland - Noordlaren, Hunebed G1

Hunebedden (megalithic tombs) are the oldest monuments in the Netherlands. They were built more than 5.000 years ago in the last phase of the Stone Age by people of the Funnel Beaker Culture, who buried their dead in these hunebedden. They were built from the erratic boulders pushed here by the ice sheets during the Ice Ages.

Hunebed G1 is the only one still standing in the province of Groningen (one other is exhibited in a museum). G1 is the most northerly hunebed on the Hondsrug (a complex of several ridges formed by the land ice at the end of the Saale glaciation, 370.000 to 130.000 years ago). Officially known as G1, the hunebed is colloquially known as Hunebed ’t Heiveen. The first written record dates from 1694. It was excavated in 1957.

The tomb is no longer complete and nowadays has only one keystone, four uprights and two lintels remain. The most striking lintel is enormous (PiP1) - obviously far too large for the stone robbers. Although G1 is not complete any longer, by carefully marking with cement the position of the missing six uprights (PiP2), the one keystone and the two portal stones, which gives a good impression of the original size. Next to the tomb stands a large stone (PiP3) which was possibly once part of it.