Ohé en Laak: Lakes, Culture and Cycling Routes

Ohé en Laak between the Maas landscape and discoveries

Together with Stevensweert, Ohé en Laak forms the „Island in the Maas“. Several cycling routes run through the village, making it an interesting destination for cycling trips. Here, cycling can be a focus in its own right alongside walks and time spent by the water in the village. The cycling routes give the day a distinctive focus.

Exploring on foot and by bicycle

One specific way to experience the landscape is the Molenplas circular walk. It starts at the Hompesche Molen and leads around the Molenplas.

A bicycle and pedestrian ferry connects Ohé en Laak with Ophoven in Belgium. This connection expands the scope for exploring beyond the village, without implying a specific route or fixed daily itinerary. Ophoven in Belgium adds a clear cross-border dimension.

Lakes, birds and water sports

Ohé en Laak has three gravel lakes: the Dilkensplas, the Teggerse Plas and the Schroevendaalse Plas. The Dilkensplas is home to particularly large numbers of waterbirds, especially in winter. Those interested in observing the landscape will find a specific connection with nature here, distinct from the village’s more active offerings.

Dagstrand De Maasterp covers 15 hectares. Swimming, stand-up paddleboarding, surfing, wakeboarding and canoeing are possible there. Around the gravel lakes, the landscape takes centre stage; at Dagstrand De Maasterp, swimming, stand-up paddleboarding, surfing, wakeboarding and canoeing form part of the range of water activities. For time spent by the water, the beach provides a clear setting. The range of water-based activities therefore extends from peaceful stays to various sports.

Buildings with a history of their own

Hasselholt is an L-shaped house built between 1544 and 1548, possibly using older elements from a late-medieval castle. Hasselholt estate is of general cultural and historical importance because of the high degree of preservation of the complex in its almost undisturbed rural surroundings. The possible use of older elements also points to an earlier history of the house.

The Sint Annakapel in Ohé en Laak is a protected Rijksmonument dedicated to Saint Anne, the mother of Mary. The chapel lies on an axis with nearby Kasteel Walburg. At Kasteel Walburg on the banks of the Maas, only the ice cellar remains. Ohé en Laak is also home to Huize Geno, an eighteenth-century Maasdal farmstead, and the original ribbon-like development, which is still particularly clearly recognisable in Laak, among the village’s distinctive features. Several centuries lie between Hasselholt and Huize Geno: Hasselholt was built between 1544 and 1548, while Huize Geno is an eighteenth-century Maasdal farmstead forming part of the townscape of Ohé en Laak.

Other places in the surrounding area

For regional orientation, you can also take a look at Stevensweert, Linne, Thorn, Wessem, Heel and Maasbracht.

For the overarching travel overview: Maasgouw.