Vaassen het Loo and Teuge

This fun bike ride crosses the beating heart of the Veluwe: attractive, vibrant and Royal Apeldoorn. The city is surprisingly different from other cities, because even though the city is bustling with life, the wooded area provides peace and quiet. The greenery dominates the streetscape and gives the monumental buildings that little bit of extra cachet. You can park your car for free at Attent SidB\\\'s Heerenloo Apeldoorn. Before you start the almost forty kilometer long bike ride, it is wise to pop into the supermarket and purchase some healthy snacks for the journey. Fresh fruit, something to drink, a few sandwiches or savory cookies will do you good along the way! You soon cycle out of the built-up area and after a few kilometers you see The Life Gardens of Groot Hontschoten. Dismount to walk through the beautifully landscaped botanical gardens, full of butterflies and birds. The gardens cover 1.6 hectares and have a special theme: they represent the stages of life, starting with fertilization and ending with death. Walking through the gardens you will encounter a tea house, a temple, a gazebo, a peacock house, a Zen garden and an artificial waterfall. When you arrive in Vaassen you will see the Cannenburger Molen, a water mill whose year of construction is unknown. What we do know is that there was already a water mill on this site in 1387. The owner of De Cannenburgh Castle sold the rights to no fewer than 20 mills in the immediate area. This existing mill is probably the oldest and was also in his possession. In 1872 the mill was bought by the Te Riele family; The fifth generation of this family now grinds at the mill. After the mill burned out in 1942, it was rebuilt in stone and as a turbine mill. The mill still runs every day. A major restoration started in 2010. Half a kilometer further is Cannenburch Castle, the castle to which the Cannenburger watermill used to belong. The sixteenth-century castle was built on the remains of an earlier castle; Traces of this former house can still be seen in the basement of the current castle. In 1534 the castle became the property of Marshal Maarten van Rossum. He then had the castle renovated, but died during this process in 1555. His successor completed the building. The castle was in danger of being demolished in 1865, but was sold to Eduard Baron van Lynden. The last private owner was Richard Cleve. After the Second World War, the castle was confiscated by the Dutch state and in 1951 it was sold for a symbolic amount to the Friends of Geldersche Castles Foundation. At an auction in 2006, the foundation was able to buy back a large part of the original contents, such as silverware, horse blankets and furniture. Vaassen is also home to the beautiful Daam\\\'s Mill. This tower mill was built in 1870 and operated on wind power until 1934. In 1989, a reconstruction was started on behalf of the Vaassen Mill Foundation and on National Mill Day in 1990 the windmill was running as usual again. The original design of the mill was changed considerably during this reconstruction. Because there were plans in 2008 to completely renovate the village center, the continued existence of the mill was hotly debated. Because the mill would probably catch less wind due to new construction, the mill was raised. The Wenum mill and the Wenumsemolen are two mills that are close to each other. The windmill of Wenum is a ground sailor; the blades almost touch the ground when it turns, and the Wenumsemolen is a beautiful old watermill. The thatched ground sailer was the third mill on this site in a short time; two previous mills burned down in 1908 and 1913. The current mill was built in Baambrugge in 1840 and has been moved in its entirety. In 1924 the mill received an auxiliary engine, so that it could also grind when there was no wind. The history of the water mill goes back a little further; the first mentions of a water mill at this location date back to 1313. In 1395, this corn mill came into the possession of the Duke of Gelre and in 1493 the Monnikhuizen monastery, near Arnhem, acquired the water mill. Before it became private property, the mill was still owned by the Provincial Executive of the Veluwe Quarter around 1580. The mill has had many different functions: in 1767 the owner had the mill converted into a copper mill, in 1858 the mill was converted back into a flour mill and a run mill was added, which was later converted into a cheese factory. The current mill was built and established in 1917 and was used exclusively to grind grain. Since 1972, the mill has been managed by the De Wenumse Watermolen Foundation. Part of the building now functions as a banquet hall. Milling for animal feed is still done on a voluntary basis. When we return to Apeldoorn, we cannot skip the city's most famous building on our route: Paleis Het Loo National Museum. Paleis Het Loo is located on the edge of the city of Apeldoorn and gives the city royal allure. The palace is owned by the State and is in the top 100 Dutch UNESCO monuments. William of Orange's great-grandson, Stadtholder William III, bought the castle in 1684 as a new hunting lodge. Due to the natural water supply from the hills, the grounds of Paleis Het Loo are ideal for landscaping and water works, for example. After a thorough restoration, the Palace has been open to the public since 1884. Jacobus Roman designed the square main building in a classicist style with a side wing on both sides and the palace was expanded with four pavilions after William III became king of England. To the left and right of the main building are two pavilions that are connected to service wings around the forecourt. Parts of the museum collection can also be seen where the kitchens used to be. The Museum of the Chancellery of the Dutch Orders is located on the top floor of the building. The museum staff is located in the former Orangery. The west wing of the building is used for temporary exhibitions. The Baroque gardens and the palace park are also worth a visit. The interior was designed by Daniël Marot.