Holiday apartment in Oost Gelre – Moorland, fortifications and museums

Oost Gelre has a varied landscape with fields, meadows, streams, small patches of woodland, villages and scattered farmsteads. Vragenderveen is a 110-hectare living raised bog. Historic sites and regional culture are also among the region’s highlights.

Nature

Visitors can walk through the publicly accessible fringe zone of Vragenderveen or take part in a guided tour through the bog. The Vragenderveen visitor centre uses photographs and maps to explain the bog, its formation and conservation measures. It also covers the common and rare birds, butterflies and plants found in the bog.

At Natuurpark de Leemputten, visitors can go pedal boating and stroll along a quiet woodland path. The 22-kilometre Marveld–Zwillbrock cycle route also runs from the fortified town of Groenlo to Natuurpark de Leemputten. This connects two contrasting settings between a historic town and a natural landscape.

Culture and history

The Nationaal Museum Tachtigjarige Oorlog is housed in a restored 15th-century church in Groenlo. It presents the history of the Eighty Years’ War in an engaging, interactive way and from multiple perspectives. Next to the museum is the De Wheme car park with four charging stations for electric cars. The museum has a lift, seating, an accessible toilet and written transcripts of the audio texts for visitors with hearing impairments.

In Groenlo, parts of the town moat, town ramparts, a ravelin and the town wall have been preserved as historic fortifications. During the Slag om Grolle, Groenlo becomes a lively open-air museum for three days, with historic markets, music, crafts and theatre. Re-enacted battles take place twice a day on the Schootsveld.

The Achterhoeks Openluchtmuseum presents former rural life in the Achterhoek and shows how farmers once lived and worked. The audio tour covers old buildings, machinery, crafts and legends from the Achterhoek. It is available in Dutch, German and Achterhoeks. The grounds of Erve Kots have yielded, among other things, a Frankish burial ground and a post-built farmstead with a moat.

Routes and experiences

The cycling and walking options in Groenlo include routes along the fortifications, through the parkland with hedges and groups of trees, along church paths and through the surrounding villages. When walking, visitors can determine the distance themselves using waymarked junctions. Thus, alongside the longer cycle route, routes of freely chosen length are also a central feature.

Regional discoveries

Marhulsen is considered a castle in the area around Oost Gelre. In the wider region surrounding Oost Gelre, Huize Onstein, Huize't Medler and Kasteel Wisch are considered castles. In the area around Oost Gelre, Wolboom, Marveld, ’t Klooster and ’t Loohuis are considered parks.

Visitors to Kaasboerderij Weenink can see how cheese is made and sample homemade and regional products. Brouwersnös offers a tasting board with four beers.

Places

The places in Oost Gelre include Groenlo, Lievelde, Lichtenvoorde and Vragender.

For the higher-level travel overview: Gelderland.

More destinations

More places within the same destination:

Heumen, Scherpenzeel, Beuningen, Zaltbommel.