Putten, Ermelo

This cycle route introduces you to the old villages of Ermelo and Putten and also enjoy a breath of fresh air along the Nuldernauw. The Nuldernauw is one of the Veluwe lakes between Gelderland and Flevoland that was created when East Flevoland was reclaimed in 1967. The Nuldernauw ensures that the non-poldered land of Gelderland, does not dry out and subside. The area around the edge lake is bustling with recreational activities. Funny photo opportunities include the two huge white bicycles lining the cycle path.

The first village you will get to know today is Ermelo. Like Putten by the way, it is a village with an agricultural background and a turbulent past. On the Ermelosche heath, during excavations in the 1970s, finds were made that can be traced back to the Clockbek people. The people who buried their dead in burial mounds and lived in the period around 2500 BC. In Museum Het Pakhuis in Ermelo, you will discover much more about this period, but also about more recent Ermelo history.

Burial mounds can also be found in the Putten woods. And here, too, you will find a historical museum: De Tien Malen, where you can learn everything about the region's interesting past. But Putten is of course also known for the Putten Razzia in October 1944. The raid was an act of retaliation for a resistance movement ambush, in which a German officer was killed. More than 600 Putten men were taken away to various concentration camps. Few returned. At the Vrouwtje van Putten and in the Remembrance Room you can dwell a little longer on this black day in Putten's history.