Eastern Netherlands
Art, History & Archaeology Sites & Museums

Founded in 1909, by the time of occupation Apeldoornsche Bosch was a flourishing Jewish psychiatric institute. On 1 April 1942 all non-Jewish staff were fired, and on 21/22 January 1943 the facility was raided, and around 1,300 patients and staff were sent to Auschwitz. Only 21 employees survived. On 2 October 1944, the site was used for the execution of 6 resistance members and two Allied pilots they had been hiding. Today an onsite memorial centre charts the story from 1909 to the raid of 1943. While a self-guided walking leads visitors around 12 significant locations.

Located on the banks of the Lower Rhine River, during WWII Arnhem played a crucial role in the liberation of the Netherlands and Europe. From September 1944 to April 1945, the city was a front-line battle zone. WWII related sites are a major draw for many visitors, with a designated Liberation Route taking in impressive monuments and numerous memorials. Arnhem is also know for its fashion and design scene, and has a rich history going back to prehistory and the Hanseatic League (Westphalian Quarter). On the city’s outskirts is the Nationaal Park Veluwezoom – the Netherland’s oldest national park.

The longest single arch bridge in Europe, De Oversteek (The Crossing) was built on the site of, and named after, the Waal crossing. On 20 September 1944, it was here that soldiers of the 504th Parachute Infantry led an assault across the river during Operation Market Garden. Each day at sunset a military veteran leads a march across the bridge to commemorate the historic event. At the pace of the march, the 48 street lights on the bridge are lit up one be one in honour of the 48 paratroopers who died during the assault in 1944.

Not far from a WWII fort is a faithful replica of a Roman Watchtower. Although this spot is on what was the Roman frontier, there is no evidence this was the site of a watch tower. The site is a popular resting stop for hikers and cyclists, and during spring and summer months, tea and coffee, with homemade cakes are on offer. The upper level has great views over this section of the Rhine River.

A stone fortification has stood at Doorwerth Castle since at least the 13th century, having replaced an earlier timber structure on this site. Rebuilding projects enlarged the castle in the Later Middle Ages. Although heavily damaged during the Second World War, a restoration project resulted in Doorwerth taking its present form around the 1980s. Today, visitors can explore several of the castle rooms, several of which now host the Dutch Hunting Museum, the National Forestry Collection, and the Museum Veluwezoom. Like many castles, it is reputedly haunted.

Although there has been a hotel on the site since 1669, it is the current building of 1852 (restored in 1975 and 2004) that is of particular significance. Here, on 5 May 1945 Canadian General Foulkes met German Colonel General Blaskowitz in what is now called the Grote Capitulatiezaal to negotiate the German capitulation in the Netherlands. The pen used to sign the document is now in the Museum De Casteele Poort. Today, a 4* hotel, De Wereld is praised for its character and proximity to the sites of historical interest in the city of Wageningen.

One of the biggest castles in the Netherlands, the stone fortification at Huis Bergh has 13th-century origins. Owned by the Bergh family for much of its history, the castle was heavily damaged by a 1735 fire, resulting in an 18th-century rebuilding project. The industrialist Jan Herman van Heek bought the castle in the early 20th century and used it to showcase his impressive collection of early modern paintings, sculptures, medieval manuscripts, and coins. Today’s visitors can enjoy this collection in the castle’s impressive moated surroundings.

The Paleis Het Loo in Apeldoorn was established late in the 17th century by Willem of Orange and Princess Mary, who then extended it upon becoming joint monarchs of England. Given its grandiosity, it unsurprisingly continued as a residence of the Dutch royal family into the 18th century. In 1795, the French invaded and plundered the palace while in 1806 it became home of the newly appointed Dutch king, Louis Napoleon, who had a new romantic landscape garden set out. Vacated by the royal family in 1977, it became a heritage attraction.

All that remains of the castellum found near Meinerswijk in 1979 are the walls of the principia. These have been enhanced with rock-filled metal cages to give visitors an idea of the building’s dimensions. Archaeological evidence suggests the fort was first built between 10 and 20 AD, while a thick layer of ash covering the site  suggests the site was destroyed during the Batavian revolt in 70 AD. Little is known about the fort, and some believe it is Castra Herculis, named on the Tabula Peutingeriana.

On a Waal River island a 6 m high sculpture of a mask faces the historic centre of Nijmegen. A copy of a Roman cavalry sports helmet celebrating the Roman origins of the city – one of the oldest cities in the Netherlands. On the ruins of the Roman fort, Charlemagne built the Valkhof Palace in 777 AD. In 1230 Nijmegen became a free imperial city, and a Hanseatic city (Westphalian Quarter) in 1402. Large parts of the city were destroyed during WWII: first during a badly executed bombing raid on 22 February 1944 and then further in September 1944 during Operation Market Garden – during which Allied troops captured the Nijmegen bridges.