Nederweert is best explored along its trails: they lead through peatland and heath, past historic sites and to museums that bring the life of the Peel to life. Nature experiences and cultural history are not simply side by side here; they offer different ways to get to know the area.
Peatland and nature trails
De Groote Peel National Park lies on the border between the Dutch provinces of Limburg and Noord-Brabant. This Natura 2000 site is a peatland area with extensive bogs, ponds, heathland and small woods. It also provides breeding habitat for many different bird species. Buitencentrum De Pelen is on the edge of the national park and serves as the starting and finishing point for various walking and cycling routes. Discovery and adventure tours are available to borrow at the information desk, where various activities also begin.
Other trails have their own focus. The 5.56-kilometre Ommetje Nederweert – Sarsven en de Banen starts in the Rowven nature area in Nederweert-Eind. Between junctions 82 and 11, it leads to a birdwatching hide. A detour to the Schaapskooi is possible via junctions 14 and 38, especially during lambing season. A circular route through Nederweert-Eind passes the peatland and heath of Sarsven en de Banen, the prehistoric trail near Rowven and the Tjongerjager viewpoint pillar.
The Peerkesbosch walking route is 10 kilometres long. It starts at Peerkesbosch in Nederweert and leads through Weerterbos and Hugterheide, passing through a changing landscape of woods, ponds and small heathland areas. Weerterbos is part of KempenBroek, a cross-border nature area that extends across the Netherlands and Belgium. Red deer live in Weerterbos; during the rut, the stags roar. The 13.9-kilometre Ommetje Nederweert walking route is part of Liberation Route Europe and passes listening posts featuring stories from the Second World War.
For another historical perspective, try the audio tour “De vergeten Verdedigingslinie” (“The Forgotten Defence Line”): the approximately 12-kilometre walking or cycling route starts in Park de Heerlijckheid in Nederweert and circles the Kanalenviersprong. Its listening posts tell stories about the Peel-Raamstelling, the Kanalenviersprong and the history of Nederweert. The Peel-Raamstelling comprised concrete fortifications, trenches, and barbed-wire and steel obstacles, built in 1939–1940 as part of a defence plan. Check current trail conditions before setting out.
Discover craftsmanship and history
At the Limburgs Openluchtmuseum Eynderhoof, you can see how people in the Peel lived and worked. The museum is known for traditional crafts demonstrated in reconstructed buildings. These include workshops for basket makers, shoemakers and potters. The permanent exhibition “Van Stenen mes tot Bronzen bijl” (“From Stone Knife to Bronze Axe”) displays archaeological finds from Nederweert and the surrounding area. The Kunstroute Nederweert offers a different perspective on the municipality’s art: it leads to public artworks and includes an audio tour via the izi.TRAVEL app.
Buildings and mills also tell stories from different chapters of local history. The Waterkrachtcentrale Nederweert is one of the oldest hydroelectric power stations in the Netherlands. Molen de Korenbloem is a grain mill dating from 1870; Molen de Windlust is the only windmill in Limburg that presses oil. The Sint-Lambertuskerk was built in the Brabant Gothic style. In Ospel stands the Onze Lieve Vrouwe Onbevlekte Ontvangenis, a three-aisled cruciform basilica in an early Gothic form dating from 1865.
If you are interested in military history, the “De vergeten Verdedigingslinie” route brings together the landscape and historical stories. Those with a particular interest in the landscape or craftsmanship will find other points of interest: from the bogs and bird habitats of De Groote Peel to the workshops and archaeological finds at Eynderhoof. Nederweert can thus be explored according to your interests, whether through its nature trails, its history or its cultural sites.
Discover more destinations: Ospel, Leveroy, Nederweert, Nederweert-Eind, Eijsden-Margraten, Mook En Middelaar, Venlo, Roerdalen.
Back to the main travel overview: Limburg.
