Holiday apartment in Rozendaal: Forest, culture and Kasteel Rosendael

Most of the municipality of Rozendaal consists of forest and heathland.

Nature

Part of the Natuurmonumenten nature reserve near De Imbosch is grazed by Scottish Highland cattle, an ancient cattle breed. The “Het Rozendaalse bos” route passes through a varied landscape of deciduous and coniferous forest in hilly terrain. Because of the open connection with the Veluwe, red deer, fallow deer, roe deer and wild boar can be spotted there.

The IVN hiking route “Vitens waterwingebied De Pinkenberg” is almost seven kilometres long and passes through the water catchment and extraction area. The area along this route is characterised by nutrient-poor soils on which birch, Scots pine and oak trees, among others, grow.

Things to do

Rozendaal’s nature reserve is easily accessible to pedestrians and cyclists. Several well-signposted cycling routes run through the nature reserve. In Rozendaal, hiking, cycling and horse riding are possible activities for visitors.

Villagescape

The old centre of Rozendaal has preserved its open and spacious character, which is considered unique by Dutch standards. The old centre of Rozendaal and the De Imbosch nature reserve have been designated as protected village landscapes.

Culture

Kasteel Rosendael was originally built in the 14th century. The estate reflects almost 700 years of residential history, beginning in the Middle Ages, when the counts and dukes of Gelre lived here. Rosendael Park includes the Bedriegertjes, a shell gallery, a tea house, ponds and fountains. The Bedriegertjes with its shell wall lies between the second and third ponds and is considered a unique phenomenon in the Netherlands and Europe. The Rosendael bandstand dates from the 1930s and is a rare example of a bandstand on a historic Dutch country estate. De Kasteel Cemetery lies in the forest north of Kasteel Rosendael. Kasteel Rosendael and its park are currently open to the public during the summer months.

The Barnard Poëziepad is a 2.4-kilometre circular village trail with seven poems by Willem Barnard and his son Benno. Willem Barnard was a pastor in Rozendaal from 1961 to 1971 and wrote under the pseudonym Guillaume van der Graft. Rozendaal Church is a Rijksmonument and was inaugurated on 9 July 1758. It houses a monumental Art Nouveau wall painting from 1905.

History

The monument on the Emmapyramide commemorates ten men who were shot there by the occupying forces on 13 December 1944. The Emmapyramide was created in 1891 as an employment-creation project. It is a hill on the Kluizenaarsberg and reaches a total elevation of 98 metres above sea level.

The Brandtoren on the Rozendaalse Veld is more than 33 metres high; its watch hut stands 130 metres above sea level, and the view can extend up to 60 kilometres. The Torckschool was built in 1842 for the community of Rosendael.

The former building of the Van der Hoeven bakery and grocery shop has a stone dating from 1773 bearing the letters “TVHS”. That year, Teunis van Hulsteijn started a bakery in Rozendaal. The Van der Hoeven bakery delivered bread and ordered groceries twice a day to regular customers’ homes in Rozendaal and Velp. The building with the clothing workshop still contains a largely intact tailor’s studio, which is used as an architect’s workspace.

Further reading: Rozendaal, Zaltbommel, Groesbeek, Zevenaar, Nijkerk, Neerijnen, Druten, West Maas En Waal

For the overarching travel overview: Gelderland.