Gelders Arcadia West

The Veluwezoom is known for 'Gelders Arcadia', the landscape of vast estates, country estates and castles. For example, you will find Huis Zypendaal, Doorwerth Castle and Villa Sanoer here.
The hilly landscape has always attracted wealthy families, who built their country houses there and created the most beautiful gardens and parks. With the arrival of train connections in the 19th century, more and more wealthy Westerners came to the estate zone on the Veluwezoom to enjoy this unique landscape and to build their 'country estates' there. And we can still enjoy the many outdoors in this area!
This route leads you through the western part of this region where you cycle through the municipality of Wageningen, the municipality of Renkum and the municipality of Arnhem. This is a beautiful area located between De Hoge Veluwe National Park on the north side and the River Rhine on the south side.
The location provides a particularly varied landscape and many beautiful panoramas during the cycle route. Along the way you will pass various castles and estates such as Doorwerth Castle in Doorwerth, Villa Sanoer in Wageningen and Huis Zypendaal in Arnhem. Part of Villa Sanoer and the surrounding garden can only be visited by appointment.
The impressive Doorwerth Castle was completely destroyed during the Second World War and left in ruins. After almost 40 years of renovation, the castle and outer bailey have been restored to their former glory since the mid-1980s and can be visited all year round. Huis Zypendaal is open to visitors on all Sundays during the summer months. The interior of this 18th century country house largely dates from that time.
Download the Gelders Arcadia app for all information about the castles and estates. This app is full of videos, photos, routes and stories that you can watch at home or on location. In this way, the often rich history of the locations of Gelderland Arcadia really comes to life.