Holiday apartment in Oosterhout: monasteries, nature and culture

Oosterhout can be explored through several themes: nature and physical activity come together with art, church and local history, craftsmanship, and activities for leisure time. The area’s special features are found not only in individual buildings, but also in paths, landscapes, collections and surviving traces of earlier uses.

Nature

The Dorst mountain bike route is 9.4 kilometres long and runs through the hilly Boswachterij Dorst, also known as Seterse Bergen. Along the way, differences in elevation of up to 10 metres must be negotiated. Oosterheide has a different landscape character: the area between Oosterhout and Breda was formerly heathland and was planted with forest at the end of the 19th century. Seventy different tree species were used in this planting. The 2-kilometre Kalix Berna hiking route near Oosterhout passes various highlights of the Oosterheide estate.

Shorter nature experiences are also part of the character of the surrounding area. At Floralia Park, you can stroll through the garden and experience it with all your senses. Hiking is possible in the nature areas of Surae, an open dune and sand area, and De Duiventoren. The Heilige Driehoek is surrounded by gardens, agricultural land and monumental farmhouses. This landscape is embedded in a historic pattern of waterways and wooded embankments.

Getting around

The 290-kilometre Zuiderwaterlinie Wandelpad runs through the municipality of Oosterhout. Stage 8 leads through Oosterhout and nearby nature areas. Three listening pillars in the municipality also mark the route taken by the Allied liberators during the Second World War.

The Linie van Den Hout is characterised by its distinctive zigzag shape and is now a nature area with attractive hiking and cycling routes. In Boswachterij Dorst, the Kunstroute Boswachterij Dorst adds a marked hiking and cycling route to the network of paths. It passes several follies.

Culture

With MOYA, Oosterhout has a 2,800 m² exhibition space for young and emerging artists. The museum is housed in the historic Sint-Antoniuskerk, a neo-Gothic church designed by Pierre Cuypers and consecrated on 13 May 1908. MOYA can be reached by car, bicycle and public transport.

The Brabants Museum Oud-Oosterhout has ample free parking directly at the entrance and is easily accessible for wheelchair users both indoors and outdoors. The Speelgoedmuseum Oosterhout is entirely on one level and therefore accessible to wheelchair users. The toy collection includes high-quality pieces from 1850 to 1970, including Europe’s largest collection of Anker building blocks.

In Ridderstraat, Brakestein, Limburg, Beveren and Borssele are among the significant listed buildings closely linked to the history of Oosterhout. De Schelleboom is a restored former pottery complex from the 16th century in Oosterhout and at the same time the city’s only surviving pottery. A glass floor makes remnants of a kiln floor from the 16th and 17th centuries visible there.

Sint-Catharinadal also combines culture and enjoyment in a clearly defined sequence: a wine tasting is preceded by a 30-minute tour of the vineyard and a visit to the wine cellar.

History

The Heilige Driehoek is a contiguous area containing the three directly adjacent monastery complexes of Sint Catharinadal, Onze Lieve Vrouweabdij and Sint Paulusabdij. The Wandeling Heilige Driehoek runs through this area, a signposted and described hiking route of approximately 4 kilometres. The three monasteries explicitly form the framework of the route.

The Sint-Jansbasiliek, also called the Basiliek van de heilige Johannes de Doper, is regarded as Oosterhout’s most important Roman Catholic church. Pope Paul VI elevated it to a Basilica minor in 1977. The tower of the Sint-Jansbasiliek was built from 1519 to 1552 but remained unfinished.

At Oosterheide, the country house was restored in 2006. Together with its associated farm complex, it forms a Rijksmonument. At the Ruïne van Strijen, visitors can still view a 25-metre-high tower standing on an island surrounded by moats.

Leisure

De Warande offers recreational swimming in the 25-metre pool and the pool for specific target groups. During the school holidays, De Warande also organises the Zwemfun programme with play equipment. In addition to the historic and scenic sites, this provides a clearly described leisure offering with different pools and a holiday programme.

When comparing holiday apartments in Oosterhout, check the exact location, accommodation type, occupancy, included services, price components, and booking and cancellation conditions on the respective listing pages. This information relates to the individual offer and should be read directly there before booking. This allows you to compare the conditions relevant to you yourself.

More local pages: Oosterhout, Den Hout.

To the higher-level travel overview: North Brabant.

More destinations

More places within the same destination:

Aalburg, Lith, Gemert-Bakel, Woensdrecht, ’S-Hertogenbosch, Boxmeer.