Herman Finkers route
Oldenzaal, Rossum, De Lutte
To many Dutch people, Herman Finkers (Almelo, 9 December 1954) is perhaps the best-known person from Twente. He became known as a cabaret performer and his ‘ode’ to Almelo -‘The traffic light jumps red, the traffic light jumps green, in Almelo there is always something to do’ - is now legendary. He hasn't lived in Almelo for a long time, but he does live in rural East Twente. And he has a ‘writers’ cottage' in a quiet spot along the river Dinkel, where he stays when he wants to be alone to concentrate. Finkers is inextricably linked to Oost-Twente in several ways. First, it is because of his constant efforts to save the Twente dialect, a specific form of the Lower Saxon language, from extinction. He did this by using it in his many songs, and by writing television series, films and Catholic masses in Twents. He was closely involved in the television series ‘Van Jonge Leu en Oale Groond’, which ran from 2004 to 2008 on the regional channel RTV Oost. The series was hugely popular, not only in Twente, as it was later broadcast by several other regional channels in the Netherlands and the second season was even shown nationwide on public broadcaster KRO. Finkers himself also starred as an actor in the first season. Finkers also had great success with the film ‘The Legs of St Hildegard’, which was released in cinemas in 2020. Finkers himself wrote the script for this tragicomic film (an adaptation of the Czech film ‘Teorie tygra’), and starred alongside Johanna ter Steege. In the film, they form the married couple Jan and Gerda, whose marriage is under pressure because Gerda is very caring towards her husband, who cannot always appreciate her interference. Of course, this film also largely speaks Twents. Apart from Twents, Finkers also promotes traditional Catholic traditions. Twente is the largest Catholic region in the northern Netherlands. That Catholicism remained so strong here after the Reformation and the Eighty Years' War is due to its location near the Catholic diocese of Munster in Germany. In the years when the practice of the Catholic faith was more or less impossible in the Dutch republic, there were many ‘hideaway churches’ in Twente, or people migrated to locations across the border. For many Twente people, the Catholic faith is therefore also part of their regional identity. For his own wedding, Finkers himself composed a polyphonic traditional Latin mass, the St George mass, and in 1988 he wrote the text and songs of the cartoon ‘Kroamschudd'n in Mariaparochie’ (‘On maternity visit in Mariaparochie’), a Christmas story. In this story, Jesus is not born in Bethlehem, but in the village of Mariaparochie near Almelo. It could hardly be more Twentsy. You can extend this route with a ‘trip’ to Bad Bentheim in Germany, a location that plays an important role in the film ‘The Legs of St Hildegard’. To do so, from bike point 83, follow points 29, 90, 42, 55, 77, 30, 51 and 26. You will then cycle (there and back) about eleven kilometres extra. This Premium cycle route was compiled by our editor: Frans Glissenaar.
| Directions | Distance | Total distance | |
|
Start: Lomanskampweg , 7636 PH Agelo | 51.1 KM | |
|
From
46
to
78
|
1440 M | 1.4 KM | |
| Head south on Rossumerstraat | 187 M | ||
| Turn right onto Wolfsbergweg | 450 M | ||
| Make a slight left onto Ootmarsumsedijk | 803 M | ||
| You are now at section 78 | 0 M | ||
|
From
78
to
49
|
2147 M | 2.1 KM | |
| Head east on Paalmaatsdijk | 11 M | ||
| Turn right onto Reimerweg | 2 KM | ||
| Turn right onto Father Raatgerstraat | 88 M | ||
| Turn left onto Korhuislaan | 63 M | ||
| You are now at section 49 | 0 M | ||
|
From
49
to
79
|
3276 M | 3.3 KM | |
| Head east on Korhuislaan | 37 M | ||
| Turn right onto Kerkewei | 149 M | ||
| Turn right onto Thijplein | 116 M | ||
| Turn left onto Thijstraat | 269 M | ||
| Turn left onto Lemseloseschoolweg | 151 M | ||
| Make a slight right onto Bentertsteeg | 961 M | ||
| Turn left onto Ootmarsumsedijk | 727 M | ||
| Turn right onto Lemseloseschoolweg | 866 M | ||
| You are now at section 79 | 0 M | ||
|
From
79
to
35
|
4093 M | 4.1 KM | |
| Head southeast on Hilbertweg | 2.2 KM | ||
| Turn right onto Tiethofweg | 455 M | ||
| Turn left onto Klumpersdijk | 6 M | ||
| Turn right onto Tiethofweg | 1.3 KM | ||
| Turn left onto Loweg | 178 M | ||
| You are now at section 35 | 0 M | ||
|
From
35
to
36
|
1094 M | 1.1 KM | |
| Head southwest on Oude Ootmarsumsestraat | 235 M | ||
| Make a slight left onto Hoge Esweg | 207 M | ||
| Make a slight right onto Oosterikweg | 636 M | ||
| Continue straight | 16 M | ||
| You are now at section 36 | 0 M | ||
|
From
36
to
64
|
2325 M | 2.3 KM | |
| Head south | 269 M | ||
| Turn left | 191 M | ||
| Turn left onto Waterhamweg | 74 M | ||
| Turn right | 333 M | ||
| Continue onto Thorbeckestraat | 172 M | ||
| Turn right | 256 M | ||
| Turn left onto B.A.A. Engelbertinklaan | 420 M | ||
| Turn left onto Tijgaardenstraat | 143 M | ||
| Turn right onto Asterstraat | 49 M | ||
| Turn left onto Tulpstraat | 58 M | ||
| Enter the roundabout and take the 2nd exit onto Nagelstraat | 12 M | ||
| Exit the roundabout onto Nagelstraat | 232 M | ||
| Turn right onto Grootestraat | 116 M | ||
| You are now at section 64 | 0 M | ||
|
From
64
to
66
|
2164 M | 2.2 KM | |
| Head east on Sint Plechelmusplein; St. Plechelmusplein | 53 M | ||
| Turn right onto Pastoriestraat | 78 M | ||
| Turn left onto Gasthuisstraat | 93 M | ||
| Turn right onto Schoolstraat | 106 M | ||
| Turn left | 64 M | ||
| Turn right onto Wilhelminastraat | 280 M | ||
| Turn right | 37 M | ||
| Make a slight left | 81 M | ||
| Turn left onto Watertorenstraat | 24 M | ||
| Make a slight left onto De Groene Loper | 91 M | ||
| Turn left onto Haerstraat | 640 M | ||
| Turn right to stay on Haerstraat | 306 M | ||
| Make a slight right to stay on Haerstraat | 311 M | ||
| You are now at section 66 | 0 M | ||
|
From
66
to
74
|
1074 M | 1.1 KM | |
| Head east on Rhododendronlaan | 1.1 KM | ||
| Turn left to stay on Rhododendronlaan | 21 M | ||
| You are now at section 74 | 0 M | ||
|
From
74
to
67
|
1360 M | 1.4 KM | |
| Head east on Lutterkerkpad | 869 M | ||
| Turn right onto Farwickweg | 491 M | ||
| You are now at section 67 | 0 M | ||
|
From
67
to
19
|
1312 M | 1.3 KM | |
| Head south on Farwickweg | 470 M | ||
| Turn left onto Grote Lutterveldweg | 307 M | ||
| Continue onto Ben Suelmannpad | 433 M | ||
| Turn right | 18 M | ||
| Turn left | 29 M | ||
| Turn right | 7 M | ||
| Make a slight left | 21 M | ||
| Turn left onto Lossersestraat | 27 M | ||
| You are now at section 19 | 0 M | ||
|
From
19
to
68
|
3137 M | 3.1 KM | |
| Head north on Lossersestraat | 43 M | ||
| Turn right onto Molenveldpad | 1.7 KM | ||
| Turn right onto Lossersedijk | 194 M | ||
| Turn left | 627 M | ||
| Continue onto Wewwelstadpad | 329 M | ||
| Turn left onto Wewwelstad | 216 M | ||
| You are now at section 68 | 0 M | ||
|
From
68
to
76
|
664 M | 0.7 KM | |
| Head southeast on Bentheimerstraat | 424 M | ||
| Make a slight right to stay on Bentheimerstraat | 52 M | ||
| Turn right to stay on Bentheimerstraat | 100 M | ||
| Continue straight | 88 M | ||
| You are now at section 76 | 0 M | ||
|
From
76
to
83
|
3963 M | 4 KM | |
| Head east | 943 M | ||
| Turn left | 1.4 KM | ||
| Turn left onto Westenberger Straße | 806 M | ||
| Turn right onto Westenberger Straße | 842 M | ||
| You are now at section 83 | 0 M | ||
|
From
83
to
37
|
1216 M | 1.2 KM | |
| Head northeast on Holter Diek | 448 M | ||
| Turn left to stay on Holter Diek | 768 M | ||
| You are now at section 37 | 0 M | ||
|
From
37
to
78
|
3231 M | 3.2 KM | |
| Head northwest on Holter Diek | 153 M | ||
| Continue straight | 1.7 KM | ||
| Turn left onto Am Görfeld | 610 M | ||
| Turn left onto Bunnhaken | 748 M | ||
| You are now at section 78 | 0 M | ||
|
From
78
to
58
|
2191 M | 2.2 KM | |
| Head southwest | 187 M | ||
| Make a sharp right | 9 M | ||
| Make a slight left onto Holter Straße | 1.4 KM | ||
| Continue straight | 566 M | ||
| You are now at section 58 | 0 M | ||
|
From
58
to
55
|
1069 M | 1.1 KM | |
| Head northwest on Zandhuizerpad | 327 M | ||
| Turn left onto Punthuizerweg | 742 M | ||
| You are now at section 55 | 0 M | ||
|
From
55
to
18
|
3929 M | 3.9 KM | |
| Head west on Holtweg | 404 M | ||
| Turn right onto Holtweg | 1.4 KM | ||
| Turn left onto Mensmanweg | 1.2 KM | ||
| Make a sharp right onto Mekkelhorsterstraat | 1 KM | ||
| You are now at section 18 | 0 M | ||
|
From
18
to
53
|
1590 M | 1.6 KM | |
| Head north on Mekkelhorsterstraat | 336 M | ||
| Turn left onto Stroothuizerweg | 240 M | ||
| Turn right to stay on Stroothuizerweg | 127 M | ||
| Turn left to stay on Stroothuizerweg | 64 M | ||
| Make a slight right onto Berghumerstraat | 536 M | ||
| Turn left onto Oude Dijk | 287 M | ||
| You are now at section 53 | 0 M | ||
|
From
53
to
23
|
929 M | 0.9 KM | |
| Head west on Everwijnstraat | 440 M | ||
| Turn right onto Oldenzaalsestraat | 378 M | ||
| Continue onto Nicolaasplein | 111 M | ||
| You are now at section 23 | 0 M | ||
|
From
23
to
12
|
1625 M | 1.6 KM | |
| Head northwest on Grotestraat | 126 M | ||
| Make a slight right onto Brinkstraat | 424 M | ||
| Continue onto Veldkampsweg | 705 M | ||
| Turn right | 69 M | ||
| Make a slight right onto de Havik | 148 M | ||
| Turn left | 153 M | ||
| You are now at section 12 | 0 M | ||
|
From
12
to
14
|
2943 M | 2.9 KM | |
| Head west on Brandehofweg | 177 M | ||
| Continue onto Japinkskampweg | 2.8 KM | ||
| You are now at section 14 | 0 M | ||
|
From
14
to
47
|
2801 M | 2.8 KM | |
| Head west on Kanaalweg Z.Z. | 623 M | ||
| Keep right onto Kanaalweg Z.Z. | 2.2 KM | ||
| You are now at section 47 | 0 M | ||
|
From
47
to
46
|
1574 M | 1.6 KM | |
| Head west on Voltherbroekweg | 1.6 KM | ||
| You are now at section 46 | 0 M |