A city in the heart of the largest nature reserve in Europe. A city with a rich royal history. That is Apeldoorn.
Apeldoorn
With an area of 341.15 km², Apeldoorn is one of the largest municipalities in The Netherlands. It has all the urban qualities, including a compact city center with a wide range of shops, various museums and music venues and countless cafes and restaurants. A city with a pleasant feel to it, due to the surrounding nature and its origin as a village.
Very striking is the amount of green in Apeldoorn. Nine city parks for example! Not only the parks are green, but also the nature surrounding nearby villages reflect the abundance of greenery in this area. National Park The Hoge Veluwe is a part of this with over 5400 hectares of nature. The famous Kröller-Müller Museum is situated in the middle of the park, with many works by Vincent van Gogh. The woods surrounding Apeldoorn are fantastic for beautiful walks and other outdoor sports year-round.
Apeldoorn has a special relationship with the Dutch royal family. Paleis Het Loo, not far from the city center, hosted the royal family summer holidays for centuries. The palace is now a museum under renovation and will reopen in 2022.
Apeldoorn also has a lot of other attractions. For example, it is possible to spend a day at the Apenheul; a zoo / forest full of primates roaming freely. People who are more interested in history can enjoy a journey by steam train along an old railway, a visit to the impressive broadcasting station Radio Kootwijk or see the only working paper mill in the Netherlands: 'De Middelste Molen' in Loenen.
