Holiday apartment in Montferland: Moated castle, forest and hiking trails

Montferland combines historic country estates, hills, forests and heathland with extensive pasture and arable landscapes. One of the prominent cultural monuments is Kasteel Huis Bergh, one of the largest moated castles in the Netherlands. Parts of the complex date from the 12th, 14th, 15th and 17th centuries. In the same historic landscape stand the Montferland motte and the Muntgebouw: the motte is the largest motte fortification in the Netherlands and one of the most significant in northwestern Europe; in the early Middle Ages, it was a strategic defensive position. The 15th-century Muntgebouw is the only surviving private mint of its kind in the Netherlands.

Culture and history

The garden and architectural history of Huis Bergh also goes back a long way. Huis Bergh is considered the oldest documented garden in the Netherlands. In the immediate vicinity of Kasteel Huis Bergh lies De Plantage, an 18th-century park forest with old avenues and monumental trees. One windmill probably dates from before 1440, making it the oldest windmill in the Netherlands.

Landscape and nature

The Bergherbos is a varied forest on a push moraine, surrounded by small-scale arable fields and grassland. The nature area covers around 1,800 hectares and lies on a high push moraine surrounded by flat lowlands, between ’s-Heerenberg, Doetinchem and Didam. The Bergherbos is managed by Natuurmonumenten and the Huis Bergh Foundation. In Montferland, hikers, cyclists and horse riders can also enjoy the three nature areas managed by Natuurmonumenten.

Hiking and views

You can hike around the Montferland motte. A 2.4-kilometre round trip through a heathland area leads to the Hulzenberg observation tower. The tower was built on behalf of the municipality of Montferland; the wood used for it comes entirely from the Bergherbos. From the top, you can see across the Achterhoek, the Liemers and the German border region.

The Montferlandse Toppenroute connects 18 hills in the Bergherbos and just across the German border. The classic route is 32.5 kilometres long and can be divided into two stages. Yellow-and-blue signposts mark its course, while QR codes on the hilltops provide additional information about the surroundings. Montferland also has nine starting points for the Achterhoek hiking network. Bus route 24 runs from Doetinchem via Zeddam to 'S-Heerenberg and provides access to sections of the Montferlandse Toppenroute. At the tourist transfer points, visitors can park and continue on foot, on horseback or by bicycle.

Water and family experiences

The Stroombroek recreational area covers 76 hectares. The area includes a bathing lake with a beach and sunbathing lawns for sunbathing, swimming, surfing, rowing and pedal boating. The cable water-ski lift there is 1,005 metres long and is described as the longest cable water-ski lift in the Netherlands.

In Braamt, Het Land van Jan Klaassen has an indoor and an outdoor children's playground as well as an interactive puppet theatre performance. It is also home to the largest puppet theatre in the Netherlands.

Cycle paths and regional routes

The Bergherbos mountain bike route in Montferland is a 26-kilometre, forest-rich route through the hills for experienced mountain bikers. Montferland and the surrounding area also have a cross-border network of cycle paths. Alongside the hiking connections, there are therefore various types of routes through forests, heathland, pastures and arable landscapes.

Wine and local traces

Directly behind Kasteel Huis Bergh, Wijngoed Montferland has the scenic Wijngaard Bergherbos vineyard. Visitors are invited to tour the vineyard under the guidance of a winemaker.

More local pages: Didam, Zeddam, Vethuizen, Stokkum, Montferland; further destinations in the same page area: Berkelland.

To the overarching travel overview: Gelderland.