Holiday apartment in Haaksbergen: discover moorland, forests and cultural heritage

Haaksbergen combines natural and cultural landscapes with diverse trails, historic buildings and regional traditions. Between raised bog, heathland, forest and rural routes, visitors who wish to combine landscape and history can enjoy numerous distinctive impressions.

Nature and landscape

In the Buurserzand, heathland, patches of forest, small fields and dune hills formed by drifting sand alternate with one another. Visitors can hike here and observe nature, birds and deer. The Buursermeertje has a special history: the lake was dug in the 19th century by textile workers as a bathing lake. At De Wakel, there is a terrace in the Buurserzand where visitors can enjoy apple pie with a view.

The Haaksbergerveen is a rare raised bog area covering more than 600 hectares on the southern side of Haaksbergen, near the German border. A 500-metre-long boardwalk leads across the wet moorland. There is also a birdwatching screen that is easily accessible via a special path, as well as two viewpoints with information about the area. The paths in the Haaksbergerveen are used by hikers, cyclists, horse riders, and drivers of carriages and horse-drawn vehicles.

In the Witte Veen, old sandy paths, oak avenues, heathland, forest, moorland and water alternate with one another. The area is part of a 60-kilometre cross-border mountain-bike route along forest and sandy paths. In addition, a varied circular walking route leads through former smugglers’ territory with heathland, raised bog, grassland and marshy woodland. The Haarmühle in nearby Germany is the starting and finishing point.

Paths and routes

Haaksbergen has an extensive network of hiking, cycling and mountain-bike trails. The paths lead through raised-bog landscapes, along country roads and farmsteads, and over challenging mountain-bike trails; there are also opportunities for horse riding on sandy paths and through forests. The routes around Haaksbergen allow visitors to explore the Buurserzand, the winding streams of the Het Lankheet estate and the Haaksbergerveen.

The Haaksbergen Heritage Cycling Route offers a unique perspective on the surrounding area. It leads through the Buurse-Haaksbergsveen and along old farmsteads in the surrounding hamlets of Brammelo, Boekelo (St. Isidorushoeve), Holthuizen, Eppenzolder, Stepelo, Buurse and Langelo.

Culture and history

The Oostendorper Watermill is a double watermill on the Buursebeek; its history began in 1548. The complex has three undershot water wheels: two for the grain mill and one for the oil mill. De Bommelas is also part of the historic landscape, an example of a typical Twente “los hoes”, where the farmer and livestock lived in the same room.

The De Korenbloem windmill was built in Haaksbergen in 1798. Volunteers keep it running and invite visitors to look inside the mill. The Sint-Pancratiuskerk in Haaksbergen is a religious listed building dating from the 12th century. Cultural events with which Haaksbergen celebrates its culture and heritage also include the traditional Bloemencorso flower parade.

The Buurtspoorweg Museum brings the history of the local railway between Haaksbergen and Boekelo to life. It displays historic steam and diesel locomotives and presents the history of the local railway. At the museum’s Haaksbergen station, visitors can watch demonstrations of signals and points; old steam and diesel locomotives are displayed in the workshop and engine shed.

Accommodation

Also pay attention to included services, price components, and booking and cancellation conditions. This ensures that the published details of each individual accommodation remain the basis for your own comparison. Those considering a holiday home instead of a holiday apartment can use the same points and then compare the options based on their personal plans.

Haaksbergen and other destinations to discover: Borne, Almelo, Ommen, Raalte, Tubbergen, Zwolle, Twenterand.

For the overview of the wider region: Overijssel.