Kootwijk: Holiday rental for nature, trails and history

Kootwijk combines a distinctive sandy landscape with architecture, church history and trails through forest and heathland. Kootwijkerzand is the largest active sand-drift area in Western Europe. Radio Kootwijk and the churches add specific cultural and historical themes to this landscape.

Sand, marshland and open trails

Kootwijkerzand remains accessible to visitors on the open trails during the breeding season. Part of the area is temporarily closed during this period to protect ground-nesting birds; the closed areas are marked with signs. This makes it clear when planning your day which trails are open and where particular consideration for birdlife is important.

Kootwijkerveen lies north of Kootwijk, a special area with a fen lake and raised bog. Red deer, roe deer and wild boar have been regularly spotted there. Extensive forests can also be explored around Kootwijk, and beautiful heathland can be crossed on foot. The character of the natural surroundings therefore ranges from open sand to quiet marshland and forest landscapes.

Hiking and cycling in the Veluwe

The Kootwijkerzand hiking route leads to a 13.5-metre-high observation tower with views across Kootwijkerzand and the Veluwe. It also passes through Boswachterij Kootwijk, the forest district in the Veluwe. Anyone who wants to explore Kootwijk by bicycle can follow Rondje Kootwijk, a cycle-node route through varied, often hilly landscapes that leads to Kootwijk via forest and heathland. The often hilly landscape is therefore an important part of planning a cycling tour through Kootwijk.

Radio Kootwijk and village history

Radio Kootwijk is a monumental former transmission building with a distinctive history and unique Art Deco architecture. It was commissioned by the PTT in 1923 as a long-wave radiotelegraphy station; shortly afterwards, it switched to shortwave radio. The buildings of the former Radio Kootwijk transmitter are only accessible as part of excursions and events.

The Hervormde kerk in Kootwijk is a simple brick church with a three-sided chancel and dates from the early 16th century. The Kerkje op de Heuvel contains a stained-glass window bearing the year 1886, the year of the Doleantie. The congregation of the Kerkje op de Heuvel is the oldest Doleantie congregation within the PKN. Kootwijk is a characteristic brink village that developed around a central brink, where livestock was formerly herded together. The remains of the former medieval village of Kootwijk were found beneath the sands of Kootwijkerzand.

Culture in the open air

Theater op ’t Zand is a free theatre festival on Kootwijkerzand. It combines theatre, dance, music, cabaret, variety, art installations, acrobatics and mime with the natural setting. Alongside hiking, cycling and regional history, a wide-ranging cultural event is therefore also part of Kootwijk’s character.

Other places

Other places: Barneveld, Voorthuizen, Garderen, Kootwijkerbroek, Esveld, Terschuur

To the overarching travel overview: Barneveld.