Holiday apartment in Hedel – history and trails along the Maas

Hedel combines local history with surroundings where castles, a fortress, parks and a hill each add a different dimension. The Historisch Museum Hedel explores the history and archaeology of Hedel and its surrounding area. This gives you an engaging introduction to a place whose past can be discovered through exhibitions, architectural remains and memorial sites.

Museum and castle history

The exhibitions at the Historisch Museum Hedel cover the Roman period, the excavations around the former Hedel Castle and coin minting. An agricultural section displays tools that were once used in Hedel. Families can therefore pursue different interests without the visit being limited to just one historical period. The agricultural section is set up as a separate area of the museum.

The former Hedel Castle no longer exists. Its foundations were excavated and partly rebuilt. The foundation remains have been partly rebuilt; no complete building from the former castle remains. The Battle of Hedel is also part of the town's history; it was the last battle fought on Dutch soil. Together, these two traces represent a past that can be explored in Hedel through both architectural remains and historical events.

Memorial sites and the Maas

At the intersection of Voorstraat and Koningin Wilhelminastraat, a memorial commemorates the twelve soldiers of the Prinses Irene Brigade who fell in battle. The monument contains a replica of a boundary marker from the landing site on the Maas, set into the masonry. The brigade members came ashore at this landing site on 24 April 1945. The monument contains a replica of the boundary marker set into the masonry, not the original marker.

Dorpshuis Gelre’s End is located in Hedel, almost on the Maas. There, the river forms the natural boundary between Gelderland and Noord-Brabant. The municipality of Maasdriel includes the Hedel walking route among its routes. The information boards refer to buildings, monuments and the surroundings of the respective village or town. Along the municipal routes, numbered information boards provide details about the surroundings, buildings and monuments of the respective village or town.

Castles, parks and regional destinations

Kasteel Ammersoyen and Slot van Well, both castles, are located in the vicinity of Hedel. Kasteel Hedel is a ruin nearby, while Crevecoeur is considered a fortress there. These four destinations highlight different aspects of history and broaden the view beyond Hedel's local history.

Snoertjeswater is a park in the vicinity of Hedel. Venrode and Sparrenwijk are parks in the wider regional area. Patersberg is a hill near Hedel. Patersberg complements the parks with a hill in the vicinity of Hedel. When planning your trip, you can distinguish between the historical destinations and the natural areas in and around Hedel, both nearby and farther afield.

More places to include in your plans

For further orientation in the same region, you can also find Kerkdriel, Well, Rossum, Alem, Ammerzoden, Heerewaarden and Hurwenen.

For the overarching travel overview: Maasdriel.