From Epe to De Cannenburgh Castle

This special route starts from the center of Epe, a cozy Veluwe village, beautifully situated in the middle of beautiful nature. Forests, heathlands, streams and springs provide great variety. The route starts in the center and leads to the village of Vaassen. This is where the most important cultural-historical attraction of the municipality is located: De Cannenburgh Castle.

De Cannenburgh Castle is best known for its most famous resident, Maarten van Rossum. He built his country house from 1543 on the remains of a medieval castle. The castle was family property until the 1950s and the original building plan was well preserved. Since then, the estate and the restored castle have been owned by the Geldersch Landschap and Geldersche Kasteelen Foundation and are accessible to the public.

Medieval castle
In the Middle Ages there already existed a castle with the name Cannenburgh. It is unknown exactly when the castle was built. The first mention dates from 1365. At that time it was a fief of the Dukes of Gelre. Little is known about the appearance of this medieval castle. Only some wall remains and part of the underground vaults have been preserved.

Maarten van Rossum
The castle had probably already fallen into ruins when it was purchased by Maarten van Rossum in 1543. Maarten was a notorious fighter. His raids through Holland and Brabant as field marshal of Duke Charles of Guelders made him a very wealthy man. In addition to his famous city castles in Zaltbommel and Arnhem, he owned a number of estates and castles. He had House de Cannenburgh built in the style of the Dutch Renaissance on the remains of the old castle. Maarten, however, would not live to see its completion.

Family property
After Van Rossum's death in 1555, his cousin Hendrik van Isendoorn inherited the house and it remained in the family for more than three centuries. Hendrik had his uncle's image placed on the large tower. From that high position, Maarten in his armor still looks out over his estate. Over time, the monumental entrance was moved from the center of the main tower to the side and the castle was expanded with two buildings and a stone bridge. Cannenburgh Castle has been open to the public since 1951. The onion-shaped spire was rebuilt and the whole place has been furnished as if the noble residents still lived there.

Elspeet
The heath surrounding Elspeet is not only a great place for people to relax, take a walk or cycle. The bees and sheep from the sheepfold of Elspeet and Vierhouten also enjoy this beautiful area. In the summer they graze the heathlands between Elspeet and Vierhouten. A feast for the eyes if you encounter them during a beautiful heath walk. The route takes you past the sheepfold.