Sight on the Veluwe

The Veluwe has been a popular place for the wealthy bourgeoisie and members of the Royal House for hundreds of years. Follow in the footsteps of the Dukes of Gelre, the House of Orange Nassau and other people of high stature. Visit the favorite fishing spot of King Willem I, view the former hunting chalet of King Willem III and cycle past one of the many castles of the Dukes of Gelre. This Exciting History route introduces you to the special traces that historical people of distinction have left behind in their beloved landscape. You can start the route at Radio Kootwijk or at one of the junctions mentioned. The route can be cycled in two directions and has a length of 50 km. Start your route at Radio Kootwijk. This radio station was built between 1918 and 1923 on an abandoned site in the Veluwe and provided the first direct radio contact with the Dutch East Indies. With the words "Hello Bandung, can you hear me?" the radio telephone service was opened in 1929 by Queen Mother Emma. Follow the cycling junctions. At junction 9 you will find De Echoput, a well built by Louis Napoleon, who was appointed king of the Netherlands by his brother Napoleon Bonaparte in 1806. A little further on you will find the Aardhuis, built in 1861, a former hunting chalet of King Willem III that was later used by Prince Hendrik (Princess Beatrix's grandfather). You cycle to Uddel. At junction 61 is the Uddelermeer, a geological remnant from the last ice age. Next to the lake is the Huneschans, a medieval ring rampart. The people living in this burg got their water from the Uddelermeer. The same lake where King William I later liked to go fishing. You cycle on to Staverden, the smallest city in the Netherlands. Staverden Castle was built together with a number of houses in the 13th century by the Gelderland Count Reinoud I. The counts - and later dukes - of Gelre mainly used this castle as a hunting lodge. After junction 81 you cycle through the Speulderbos, one of King Willem III's favorite hunting areas. The Speulderbos near Drie resembles a 'primeval forest' with its gnarled, green-mossy oaks and half-decayed trunks. The fact that ancient inhabitants also lived here is evident from the many burial mounds in the area. On the heath of Bergsham near Garderen there is a group of burial mounds from the Bronze Age (2000-800 BC). The people who lived here chose this remarkably high point to bury their dead. The high elevation of the hills reflects the status of the people who were buried here.