Nederland - Rolde, hunnebedtweeling

The dolmen-twins D17 and D18 are among the best known dolmens in the Netherlands. These two fairly large dolmens are easily accessible and lie behind the medieval Jacobuskerk in Rolde and on the edge of a cemetery from later times. The two dolmens were constructed between 3400 and 3200 BCE and are attributed to the funnel beaker culture.

Hunebed D17 lies beautifully under an old oak tree, but makes a somewhat disorderly impression. It has 8 capstones, only one of which is still in place; the others have partly or completely slipped off their supporting stones. Originally, the dolmen had 18 side stones and 8 capstones; it is almost 14 metres long and 3.8 metres wide.

Hunebed D18 looks neat and complete. To achieve this, the dolmen has been restored several times, most recently in 1993. The seven capstones each lie on their supporting stones. To keep it that way, steel pins have been drilled into two of the capstones. The dolmen has a length of over 12.5 metres and a width of 3.5 metres. Dolmen D18 is one of the largest surviving dolmens of the Neetherlands.

The dolmen-twins in Rolde have been captured by various painters. Hunebed D17 is one of the most frequently depicted dolmens in the Netherlands and has appeared on paintings, tiles and postcards.