North of Netersel lies Neterselse Heide, a peaceful area with a changing mix of lakes and heathland. Circular trails, a section of a long-distance hiking trail and mountain biking routes add to the area's appeal for nature lovers. Churches, archaeological remains and a war memorial offer further insights into local history. For planning your trip, you can compare different focuses: landscape and activity, or historic sites and memorials.
Heathland, hiking trails and buntgrass
The 7.9 km Ommetje Netersel circular walk passes De Buntsteker. The 1994 bronze sculpture depicts a person cutting buntgrass. The subject is connected to local craft traditions: historically, buntgrass from Neterselse Heide was used to weave baskets and beehives. The artwork and the former use of the same grass are therefore specifically connected.
A section of the Brabants Vennenpad long-distance hiking trail also runs around Netersel. This is a different hiking feature from the 7.9 km Ommetje Netersel circular walk: here, the description highlights the connection to the long-distance trail, while the circular walk passes a specific sculpture. The Dak van Netersel mountain biking route offers another focus. It runs on and around a former landfill in a wooded setting. These different types of routes and landscapes sit alongside one another, but should not be understood as a single continuous route.
Churches and local history
A document from June 1219 is the first tangible evidence that Netersel existed. Netersel's church was first mentioned in 1340 and is probably older. The dates refer to different historical records: evidence of the town and the first mention of the church. Originally, the church served as a castle or palace chapel and belonged to a nearby tenant farm or castle.
The H.H. Antonius en St. Brigidakerk contains a stone baptismal font from the 15th century and a wooden crucifix from the same century. The Oude Kerk comprises the remains of a moated house and Netersel's old church. Both examples draw attention to different aspects of history: surviving objects in a church and structural remains of an earlier settlement. Together, they complement the written historical records with visible evidence of the past.
Memories of wartime
On Neterselse Heide stands the Monument voor ‘Geallieerde Vliegers’, a boulder with a copper plaque. It commemorates the six crew members of Stirling BK703 of the 149th Squadron. The bomber was shot down by a German night fighter on the night of 28 to 29 June 1943 and crashed near this site; all six crew members lost their lives. The memorial thus commemorates a specific air-war incident and the crew it affected.
Another story from the Second World War concerns Fons van der Heijden. He provided shelter to many people in hiding at his farm in Netersel and was an active link in the so-called Pilotenlijn. This route served downed Allied pilots, Engelandvaarders and prisoners of war who wanted to reach England via Belgium, France and Spain. The memorial and the story of the Pilotenlijn show different aspects of wartime: the commemoration of a crew and the support given to people fleeing.
Discover more destinations: Bladel, Hapert, Hoogeloon.
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