D42

Updated April 16, 2024

## D42 (Hunebed) at Emmer Es, Emmen: what you’re seeing—and what’s missing

Hunebed D42 sits on the Emmer/Schimmer es area west of Emmen (province of Drenthe), on terrain historically referred to as “Stien Camp” (“stone field”). It’s also officially listed as a Rijksmonument (national heritage monument). Commons

This is one of the larger hunebeds in Drenthe—but also described as less well-known. The reason it feels “different” when you arrive isn’t just the scale; it’s the structure’s unusual entrance design (now largely gone) and the fact that a large oak tree stands in the middle of the chamber.

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## Quick facts you can rely on (on-page essentials)

– Name/number: D42 (also referred to as Westenesch-Noord / “Op de Stien Camp”)
– Municipality: Emmen
– Dimensions: 16.8 m long × 4.5 m wide
– What’s left of the capstones: It likely had nine capstones; four remain, and sources note only two still in position.
– Distinctive feature: D42 is described as the only hunebed in the Netherlands that originally had three pairs of portal side-stones at the entrance.
– Access: Reached on foot or by bicycle, via a ~500 m woodland path.
– Coordinates (your dataset): 52.7957898, 6.8701237 (Emmer Es, near Emmen).

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## What you’ll actually see on site

D42 is a passage grave (hunebed/dolmen) built from large boulders—part of the broader hunebed tradition in Drenthe, widely described as the Netherlands’ oldest monuments and associated with the Funnelbeaker people.

But D42 is also explicitly described as “incomplete” and heavily damaged, with multiple stones missing and their former positions indicated by ground markers in at least one account. Hunebed Nieuwscafé

Two details are repeatedly emphasized across sources:

### The entrance that made D42 unique (and why you can’t “spot it” now)
Archaeological work established that the entrance once involved an unusually long corridor arrangement—two lines of three stones facing each other—and D42 is described as unique for having three pairs of portal side-stones.
Today, you shouldn’t expect a dramatic doorway: one source notes there’s nothing visible of that corridor now.

### The oak tree inside the monument
Multiple sources mention an impressive oak growing from the middle of the hunebed chamber.
This is not a decorative “nearby tree” detail—it changes how the stones read visually, and it’s a defining feature of D42 in photos and field notes.

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## Context: how old is it, and who built hunebeds like this?

Hunebeds in the Netherlands are commonly dated to the Late Neolithic, built roughly 3470–3250 BCE by communities of the Funnelbeaker culture (TRB/TBK), and used for centuries.
That’s a general hunebed timeline (not a D42-only excavation date), but it’s the best-supported framework for explaining what a structure like D42 represents.

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## Visiting D42: what to plan for

### Getting there (and why it feels “hidden”)
D42 is described as lying west of Emmen on the Emmer Es and reachable only by walking or cycling, via a 500 m forest path.
If you’re mapping it, note that Wikimedia Commons lists the site in Emmen (Drenthe) and associates it with Schietbaanweg. Commons

### What to expect on arrival
– A large but incomplete stone chamber/grave.
– The oak tree rising from within the monument footprint.
– No “single perfect angle” that shows a fully intact structure—because D42 is explicitly documented as damaged and missing stones.

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## Data freshness + accuracy notes (what could change)
– Access details can change (forestry work, temporary closures, path reroutes). The “500 m woodland path” access description is well-documented, but always verify on-site signage or the land manager before assuming conditions are unchanged.
– Historic/archaeological notes (e.g., excavations/restorations mentioned in sources) are stable as “reported history,” but they don’t guarantee what’s currently visible above ground.

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