Thorn, Maasbracht and Echt

At Maasbracht you will also find the beautiful Echt. Echt was first mentioned in 1259 and received city rights in 1343. However, it was not until 1630 that the place was generally referred to as a city. Echt had an urban allure for that time and was the most important city in the Overkwartier of the county of Gelder from the 13th century.

The first attraction is Parkdomein Groenenberg. This beautiful landscape park, covering 45 hectares, was laid out in the English style. Characteristic are the winding roads, curved forest edges and vast lawns. Low flower beds, solitary trees and shrubs characterize the landscape. In the park you will find a fairytale weeping beech. Then you cycle to Kasteelhoeve De Grote Hegge. The history of the nobleman's home dates back at least to 1389, when the place was still referred to in the archives as "Die Hegge". Old notes show that the then estate consisted of a fortified house, a Laathof, a Leenkamer and various farms and meadows. The current main building was only built in the fifteenth century, the company buildings even two or three centuries later.

Despite natural disasters (such as lightning), military violence (especially during the French period) and changes of owners, the estate continues to exist. In 1974 and 1975, a large-scale restoration was carried out and the moat was excavated again. Because of its turbulent history and the beautiful appearance of the estate, De Grote Hegge is a protected monument, but nowadays it is used as a party and meeting center. The last stop on the route is at Kasteel Het Geudje. The castle was probably built in 1548. The castle consists of a main building with two floors. There is a lower extension on the north side. The adjacent tower was built in 1972 on the remains of an earlier residential tower that stood on the same site. The interior of the castle has a seventeenth-century mantelpiece with caryatids and an eighteenth-century mantelpiece.