Duchy of Gelre Route Exciting History

The Achterhoek has a rich medieval past. A history that goes back many years and has left its mark on the landscape. Gelderland has the highest castle density in the Netherlands, most of which are in the Achterhoek. In the 11th century the county of Gelre was created, which was called the Duchy of Gelre from the 14th century. Gelre was an important political power bloc in Northwestern Europe in the Late Middle Ages. It consists of four quarters with Nijmegen, Arnhem, Zutphen and Roermond as the capitals. The last duke of the 'old school' is Karel van Gelre. Not long after his death in 1538, Gelre was swallowed up by the Burgundian empire. The medieval period is therefore over. In many places in the Achterhoek you can still see buildings that played a major role in the Middle Ages. This route takes you past four of these monuments, namely Wisch Castle in Terborg, the Old Grafelijke Torenmolen in Zeddam, Huis Bergh Castle in's-Heerenberg and the Sint-Antonius Chapel in Sinderen. The starting point of the route is the DRU in Ulft. The DRU symbolizes the iron industry of the Achterhoek. The old DRU factory buildings have now been given a second life as an industrial monument. The DRU complex has a theater hall, library, catering facilities, meeting rooms, a concert hall, homes, a hotel and an office. The route is signposted via the cycle junction system. This offers the option at junction 53 or junction 68 to shorten the route to an eastern or western route.