Grafhorst on the Ganzendiep – Holiday apartment, routes and history

Grafhorst combines the open landscape of the Nationaal Landschap IJsseldelta with a local history shaped by the Ganzendiep. The village was founded on a sandy ridge along this waterway, a former branch of the IJsseldelta. From the Veerplein, you can enjoy a panorama of Kampereiland. This puts water, polder landscape, routes and history side by side as different themes for your holiday.

Holiday apartment in Grafhorst: Waterscape and routes

The Ganzendiep next to Grafhorst is designated exclusively as a waterway for recreational boating between the Ganzensluis and the Goot. It is approximately 9 kilometres long and flows into the Zwarte Meer. In the centre of Grafhorst, there is a specially designated bathing area where young people can relax in summer.

Grafhorst is a starting point for several hiking trails in the IJsseldelta. On stage 16 of the Zuiderzeepad, you hike along the Ganzendiep through the Zuiderzeepolder. From the Mandjeswaard starting point on Kamperzeedijk 29, two hiking trails lead over 5.0 and 9.4 kilometres respectively. The red route from Mandjeswaard is 9.4 kilometres long and runs almost entirely on paved surfaces; the yellow route is 5.0 kilometres long and crosses the Goot twice. The marked Rood hiking route starts in Grafhorst at Kerkstraat 28. From Grafhorst, there is also a cycling loop across Kampereiland, taking the ferry across the Ganzendiep to Mandjeswaard and returning via the Kamperzeedijk.

Veerplein and local history

The Veerplein and its immediate surroundings are considered the only public place in Grafhorst on the Ganzendiep. The passenger ferry from Grafhorst to Kampereiland docked at the open square where today's Voorstraat and Achterstraat meet the Ganzendiep.

In 1333, Grafhorst was granted town rights by the Bishop of Utrecht, but it never developed into a walled town. A major fire destroyed almost all of Grafhorst in 1849. The church of the Hervormde community was built using local funds and voluntary labour and was put into use on 1 February 1962. The former Nederlands Hervormde Kerk on the Grafhorsterweg represents the post-war reconstruction period and is designated as a gemeentelijk monument, meaning a municipal monument. A freestanding church on the main road is regarded as a rare example of post-war reconstruction architecture in Grafhorst.

Tradition throughout the year

The traditional Biestemarkt dates back to 1333 and is now celebrated without livestock. It takes place every year on the second Tuesday in October and is organised by the Vereniging Dorpsbelangen Grafhorst.

When you choose a holiday apartment in Grafhorst, you can make your preferred daily activities the starting point for your planning: waterscape and bathing area, hiking trails and cycling loop, or local history and market tradition. The different route lengths of 5.0 and 9.4 kilometres make it easier to compare the route options.

More places for your travel planning

If you would like to compare more places, you can find them here: IJsselmuiden, Kamperveen, Zalk, Kampen.

To the overarching travel overview: Kampen.