Ruinerwold

Ruinerwold is a village in the Dutch province of Drenthe. It is located in the municipality of De Wolden, about 6 km northeast of Meppel.

History

The village was first mentioned in 1792 as Ruiner Wold, and means "the swampforest belonging to Ruinen". Ruinerwold is a road village which developed on a sandy ridge since the 13th century.
The Dutch Reformed church is located in the former hamlet of which has merged into Ruinerwold. The original Romanesque church has been enlarged around 1425 in Gothic style. The upper part of the tower was restored after a 1730 fire. Rich farmers formerly lived in Ruinerwold, where they constructed expansive farmhouses with ornate embellishments.
Ruinerwold was home to 1,245 people in 1840. Ruinerwold was a separate municipality until 1998, when it became part of De Wolden.

Hermit family

In October 2019, a 67-year-old man, Gerrit Jan van Dorsten, and his six adult children were discovered, who had lived for nine years in seclusion in a farm house in Ruinerwold. The father was charged with unlawful deprivation of liberty and harming other people's health. The charges were later dropped due to his poor health.