Holiday apartment in Oldenzaal: discover Hanseatic history and nature

In Oldenzaal, Hanseatic history becomes a search for lost coins: the Hanzetour app guides its users to six different locations in the city. Oldenzaal also features natural and cultural landscapes, historic trails, museums and distinctive buildings.

Nature

A small part of the Natura 2000 area Landgoederen Oldenzaal lies within the municipality of Oldenzaal, as well as on and around the Oldenzaal push moraine. In the wider surroundings of Oldenzaal, the Tankenberg is 85 metres high and the highest “mountain” in Overijssel; from there, the view extends across Twente to Germany. The Landgoed Egheria estate is also located in the wider surroundings. There, hiking and cycling opportunities lead through forests and along streams to the Tankenberg. The protected ponds of Landgoed Egheria in the stream valleys provide a habitat for the rare great crested newt.

Het Hulsbeek is a 230-hectare recreational area described as the largest landscape park in the region. The “'t 12-uurtje” hike through Het Hulsbeek leads through extensive forests, past small bodies of water, across heathland and open meadows, and along bodies of water with beaches and green sunbathing lawns. Hulsbeek also features a climbing forest, a water playground, a panna field and a skate track.

Hiking trails

The OHP 1 route starts at Oldenzaal railway station, is marked red and white, and can be walked in both directions. From there, it leads via country estates to the Kennispark in Enschede and is part of the Overijssels Havezatenpad. In the countryside near Oldenzaal, the Trailrun Tankenberg route also runs over the Tankenberg; it is also suitable as a hiking route.

The Rondje Oldenzaal hiking route, also known as “Loakgang”, passes historic boundary stones and runs through eight natural areas in Twente. It starts at Hulsbeek on Oude Almelosestraat 13 in Oldenzaal and is signposted with white-and-green markers. Along the way, Rondje Oldenzaal passes the remains of the former tramway that ran from Oldenzaal railway station via Rossum and Volthe to the station in Denekamp. The historic Kerkepad from Deurningen to Oldenzaal was formerly used to reach the Plechelmus Church in Oldenzaal.

Culture and history

The Groote Markt is the vibrant centre of Oldenzaal and is surrounded by historic buildings. Oldenzaal has 22 state-listed monuments, including two archaeological monuments, as well as 31 municipal monuments. Particularly distinctive is the tower of the St Plechelmus Basilica: it is almost 800 years old, 61.5 metres high and built from Bentheim sandstone. From its summit, the “Lood’n Bönneke”, the view extends across Twente to Germany.

The Oldenzaal Museum offers tailor-made guided tours, a special city walk and an escape room. Its collection includes archaeological finds, religious cultural heritage and traditional crafts. At De Pelgrim, the ArcheoHotSpot Oldenzaal brings together archaeology, archaeologists, volunteers, residents and visitors. Excavations from the past and current excavations are made accessible to the public there. The permanent exhibition “Ritme van de stad” at De Pelgrim explores rituals and traditions typical of Oldenzaal and Twente.

At Hanzehuis Oldenzaal, visitors can learn about the city’s Hanseatic history and contemporary entrepreneurship. The Herdenkingstuin offers a quieter way to engage with the past. It is a memorial garden that is easily accessible to the public, with a restrained and peaceful character, dedicated to residents of Oldenzaal who lost their lives during acts of war or post-war peace missions. It also commemorates the people who died in the explosion on the Groote Markt on 8 May 1945 and includes memorial monuments for Jewish victims and Sinti from Oldenzaal.

Experiences

History is also staged in Oldenzaal. The candlelit theatre walk takes visitors through Oldenzaal with a lantern guide and allows them to encounter historical figures from the 18th century. The theatre walk “Voor de val”, Oldenzaal 1626, conveys the city’s final tense period of history during a tour of the centre featuring historical figures. Alongside museums and buildings, guided tours, archaeological insights and historic sites are therefore also central attractions.

To the overarching travel overview: Overijssel.

More destinations

More places within the same destination:

Tubbergen, Hellendoorn, Losser, Borne, Hengelo, Zwolle, Rijssen-Holten.