Harderwijk, Ermelo and Hulshorst

Harderwijk is best known for the dolphinarium and wellness resort De Zwaluwhoeve, but the pleasant town has more to offer. Harderwijk is relatively small with an area of just over 48 square kilometers. More than one eighth of this consists of water. That water played a major role in the lives of the inhabitants, both in the past and now, who provided for their livelihood with it. With the reclamation of the IJsselmeer, the focus has now shifted from fishing and fish trading to tourism, industry and services, but the colorful history of the city is still clearly visible. Few city centers have been preserved as well as the historic center of Harderwijk, which is a protected cityscape. The tour also serves the real nature lovers, because you pass through the Leuvenumse Bos. This varied deciduous and coniferous forest consists of four sub-areas, each of which has its own flora and fauna. There is a lot of game in the Leuvenum woods; from boars to roe deer and red deer. To keep these populations healthy, wild bridges have been constructed and dead wood is left behind. This is how other populations are expanding as well. Soil animals, insects and mushrooms feed on dead wood and attract insectivores such as woodpeckers and badgers. Pine martens and owls are also among the species that manage to survive well in the forest, while endangered animal species such as the sand lizard, the moor butterfly, the antlion and the nightjar scrape together in the drifting sand area under the dry heath plants. You will see De Essenburgh castle on the edge of Hierden. Presumably a predecessor stood on the site of the lock, but no evidence has ever been found except for the writings that mention this. The castle was commissioned by Johan Coolwagen, who wanted to acquire a place within the Ridderschap van Veluwe with this prestigious status symbol. This failed and he had to sell the castle to his creditors. The Essenburgh then saw many owners come and go, until finally the Norbertines started using it as a monastery. Today, conferences, seminars, company presentations and other events such as weddings are organized in the castle.