Hoevelaken can be explored through two distinct themes: trails through the landscape and estate, and places that commemorate wartime and architectural history. The walking routes differ in direction and landscape; monuments and the church tower offer their own historical points of reference. For planning your trip, a simple question is therefore helpful: should your stay focus mainly on hiking or cultural history?
Trails through the landscape and estate
The Laaksepad leads from Hoevelaken through a landscape shaped by peat and peat extraction towards Nijkerkerveen; the Laaksepad KIDS leads through the Hoevelakense bos. The Hoevelaken–Nijkerk walk runs from Hoevelaken to Nijkerk, through Landgoed Hoevelaken and along the Barneveldse Beek. The routes described therefore differ both in their landscapes and in their direction. When choosing, the named landscape features and direction can help you decide.
Landgoed Hoevelaken can be explored on foot. In the 15th century, a castle stood on the estate south of the present-day house. Its Overbosch was laid out in the English landscape style around 1840. Thus, two distinct historical points of reference stand side by side on the estate: the 15th-century castle and the later landscape design.
Memorial sites and architectural history
The Walter Strang Memorial commemorates Scottish-Canadian Sergeant Walter Strang. He was killed on 19 April 1945 during the liberation of Hoevelaken by a German mortar attack. The memorial is a white wooden cross with a stone commemorative plaque and stands at the entrance to Park Weldam, on the corner of Westerdorpsstraat in Hoevelaken.
The Frans Tromp Memorial commemorates a different story: Frans Tromp was a resistance fighter who was shot by the occupying forces during the Second World War. The commemorative plaque is mounted on the inner wall of the “Schimmelpenninck van der Oye” Christian primary school on Oosterdorpsstraat. This makes the form of this memorial site different from that of the Walter Strang Memorial.
The tower of the Reformed Church at Westerdorpsstraat 67 also offers a distinct point of reference for architectural history. It is a brick structure dating from the 15th or 16th century. Two bells hang in its tower, including one by J. Tolhuis from 1537. This brings together a date range for the tower and a specific year for one of the bells.
Events and planning
The Hoevelaken Art Route takes place every year on the last weekend of September; the starting point is Dorpshuis De Stuw. If you are planning your stay around the event, check the exact dates for your travel period. Free parking is available at the Hartje Hoevelaken centre.
When looking for accommodation, use the reason for your trip as your first filter: hiking, historic sites or the Art Route each offer a different focus. For a walk, the direction and named landscape features are key; for the Art Route, the date is the most important point of reference. This helps you plan your stay around what you actually want to do.
Discover more destinations: Nijkerk.
Go to the main travel overview: Nijkerk.
