Oudewater – History, Rope Making and Routes by the Water

Oudewater combines an unusually rich urban history with themes that can be explored in many different ways. A holiday apartment in Oudewater can provide the setting for historical sightseeing, routes along the Hollandsche IJssel and impressions of the Lopikerwaard landscape. Particularly characteristic is the combination of museums, listed buildings, traditional rope making and routes through the Dutch countryside.

Culture

The historic centre of Oudewater was designated a protected townscape in 1977 because of its rich history. The municipality is home to more than 160 national heritage monuments and 140 municipal monuments. The Stadsmuseum Oudewater is housed in the monumental historic town hall. It includes the council chamber and the wedding hall of the town hall; the wedding hall contains a mid-17th-century painting depicting the so-called “Oudewaterse moord” of 1575. The museum also features a unique medieval foundation technique that cannot be seen anywhere else in the Netherlands.

Another historic landmark is the Grote Kerk, also known as Sint-Michaëlskerk. It has a characteristic saddleback tower dating from the 14th century, whose tower served as a fortification in the Middle Ages. The tower can be climbed with a guide, offering views across Oudewater and the surrounding Groene Hart. The town’s history also includes the privilege Oudewater received from Emperor Charles V for an honest weighing procedure. Oudewater was the only town in Europe to hold this privilege. At the De Heksenwaag museum, you can be weighed on the original scales and receive a Certificaet van Weginghe. The museum also presents the history of witch persecutions in the 15th, 16th and 17th centuries.

At the Rope Museum, rope making is presented in a vivid and hands-on way: visitors can smell, feel, taste and make rope themselves. The museum explains the traditional process, from roasting and breaking through hackling and spinning to the ropewalk. The preserved industrial heritage includes the Touwbaan of the Oude Touwfabriek, a rare example of a ropewalk of exceptional length with cultural and historical value. Creative crafts are also at the heart of the workshops at De Broedkorf in Oudewater, where the basics of basket weaving with willow and rattan are taught.

The Gerard David Open-Air Museum complements the enclosed museum spaces with a route through the historic centre. Reproductions of paintings by Gerard David can be seen distributed along this route. The route is free and accessible at any time.

Water and Routes

A whisper-boat trip on the “Geelbuik”, with a guide on board, offers insights into the history and cultural heritage of Oudewater from the water. Several walking connections also take in the landscape and places along the Hollandsche IJssel. The Hollandse IJsselpad passes through Oudewater and connects medieval towns along the Hollandsche IJssel. It is divided into walking stages of approximately 11 kilometres each and has its own waymarking system, as well as clear starting and finishing points in the towns along the route.

The Hollandse IJsselroute Oudewater runs along the Hollandsche IJssel. On the return journey, it follows the long, atmospheric Tiendweg through the countryside. The 31-kilometre Geelbuikenroute offers a different thematic perspective: it tells the story of Oudewater’s rope industry – from hemp to rope – and passes hemp fields, the Touwfabriek and the Lange Linschoten.

Landscape and Orientation

Oudewater is located in the Lopikerwaard landscape. This area is characterised by pollard willows, meadows, ditches and rivers. The landscape thus forms a distinct setting alongside the historic centre and the routes that run along the Hollandsche IJssel or through the countryside.

TIP Oudewater offers walking and cycling routes, road and waterway maps, as well as town maps. This keeps various types of maps and themed routes available side by side for planning, without reducing the historic sites, the water or the landscape to a single way of experiencing them.

When comparing a holiday apartment in Oudewater, you can check the respective listing to see the exact location, type of accommodation, occupancy, included services, price components, and booking and cancellation conditions specified. You can also include the towns of Oudewater and Papekop in your further selection of destinations.

For the broader travel overview: Utrecht.

More destinations

More places within the same destination:

Breukelen, Woerden, Rhenen, Baarn, Maarssen, Veenendaal.