Winterswijk, Groenlo

Piet Mondriaan (1872–1944), known for his iconic geometric compositions in red, blue, and yellow, spent a significant part of his childhood in Winterswijk. Although he was born in Amersfoort, he moved to Winterswijk with his family at the age of eight, where his father became the headmaster of the local Christian primary school.

The Mondriaan family lived in the school building at Zonnebrink, which is now the Villa Mondriaan museum. This is where Mondriaan started drawing and painting, inspired by the landscape, the light, and the calmness of the Achterhoek. His early works were mainly realistic and nature-focused: windmills, farms, trees, and wide open views. You can admire several of his first paintings in the museum.

The years in the Achterhoek formed an important foundation for the abstract and modern pieces he created later. The structure of the ‘coulisse’ landscape – where fields are framed by tall trees – combined with the play of light and shape, clearly influenced how he would later abstract the world into lines and surfaces.

We’ve added even more interesting places along the route. The fortified town of Groenlo is also a great spot to hop off your bike. Visit the creepy dungeons under Groenlo’s town hall, tap your own milk or even your own beer along the way. Of course, there’s also plenty of nature to enjoy, with lots of greenery and rivers and little streams flowing through it.

Hop on your bike and see the landscape today through the eyes of Piet Mondriaan!