Holiday apartment in Lochem – Hiking, Culture and the Berkel

Lochem combines the Lochemse Berg, forests and moorland areas with cultural venues in the town. Around Lochem, central starting points, wooded hills and the Berkelvallei meet historic buildings, a permanent exhibition and a theatre. Here, forests and hills meet the Second World War, theatre and architectural history.

Hiking routes between moorland, hills and forests

The starting point SP10 Lochem begins at the red information panel at De Gloep in the centre of Lochem; from there, four hiking routes are available. The eleven-kilometre Veen Route connects Lochem’s historic centre with the surrounding area. Among other things, it passes moorland areas, crosses hills and leads through forests. The fixed distance of eleven kilometres provides a specific figure for planning a day of hiking. This means the route is not limited to a single type of terrain, but leads from the historic centre through various landscapes.

The De Poort van Lochem hike starts at Lochem railway station, where there is a large car park and an unguarded bicycle storage facility. It runs through the cultural landscape around the Lochemse Berg and through the Berkelvallei. Paaschberg borders Lochem, is 25 metres high and characterised by hilly woodland. For planning purposes, the two routes differ in their starting point in the centre or at the railway station, as well as in the eleven-kilometre distance of the Veen Route.

Cultural venues with a history of their own

The Liberation Museum Lochem presents a permanent exhibition about life in Lochem during the Second World War. At Schouwburg Lochem, professional and amateur performances, concerts, band performances, jazz afternoons and readings take place in a medium-sized theatre auditorium and a StadsLounge. Culture enthusiasts will therefore find both a historical focus and spaces for theatre and music in Lochem. At Schouwburg Lochem, the medium-sized theatre auditorium and the StadsLounge complement each other.

One of the prominent landmarks on Paaschberg is the monumental water tower. It was built in 1924 and designed by the architect H. Wessel. Initially, the water tower on Paaschberg also served as a viewing tower. The De Zandkuil open-air theatre is located on the western slope of Paasberg, where sand was once extracted. Berkeloord is a villa district more than 100 years old and has been designated a protected townscape. Paaschberg thus combines the water tower, the former sand extraction on the slope and hilly woodland.

Trips on the Berkel

A trip on a Berkelzomp in Lochem offers rides of approximately one hour on the Berkel. Such a duration creates a separate time frame alongside a hike or cultural event. In addition to the landscape connection of the hike, the Berkel brings the possibility of incorporating an approximately one-hour Zomp trip into the day’s schedule.

Also, Emst is one of the places you can get to know in Gelderland.

For the overarching travel overview: Gelderland.