From Epe to Kasteel de Cannenburgh

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

Kasteel De Cannenburgh 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. Until the 1950s, the castle was family owned and the original building plan was well preserved. Since then, the estate and the restored castle have been owned by the Geldersch Landscape and Geldersche Kasteelen Foundation and are open to the public.

Medieval fortress
There was already a castle named Cannenburgh in the Middle Ages. When exactly the castle was built is unknown. The first mention dates from 1365. At that time it was a fief of the dukes of Guelders. Little is known about the appearance of this medieval castle. Only some wall remains and part of the subterranean vaults have been preserved.

Martin Rossum
The castle had probably already fallen into ruins when it was purchased in 1543 by Maarten van Rossum. Maarten was a notorious fighter. His raids through Holland and Brabant as field marshal of Duke Karel van 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 Huis de Cannenburgh built in the style of the Dutch Renaissance on the remains of the old castle. However, Maarten would not live to see the 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 affixed to the great tower. From that high position, Maarten still looks out over his estate in his armor. Over time, the monumental entrance from the center of the main tower was moved to the side and the castle was expanded with two building houses and a stone bridge. Cannenburgh Castle has been open to the public since 1951. The onion-shaped spire was rebuilt and the whole is furnished again as if the noble residents still live there.

Elspeet
The heathland around Elspeet is not only a great place for people to stay, to take a walk or a bike ride. The bees and sheep of the Elspeet and Vierhouten sheepfold also enjoy this beautiful area. In the summer they graze the heaths between Elspeet and Vierhouten. A feast for the eyes if you encounter them during a beautiful heath walk. The route leads past the sheepfold.