Noble Achterhoek: from robber barons to stately castles
Lochem, Vorden, Almen
It is hard to imagine nowadays, but in the Middle Ages, the stretch of Achterhoek to which Lochem and Vorden belong was an impassable swampy area. It was strategically the ideal place, amid the swamps, to own a fortified castle. Useful when a robber knight like Sweder Rodebaert van Wisch returned from a raid. Castle de Wildenborch was then the ideal hiding place to hide the collected treasures and also to stay out of reach of vengeful men himself. These were usually the rightful owners of the looted goods. The lords of Wisch held regular raids in the county of Zutphen and Overijssel around 1372. Enraged citizens regularly besieged the fortified castle, but to no avail. Yet 150 years later, the then lord of the castle ─ Johan van Wisch ─ forcibly surrendered to Duke Charles of Gelre. Today, when you pass by the imposing and restored castle, there is little evidence of its illustrious past. The estate is accessible, but the building itself is not. As a castle, De Wildenborch does not stand alone in this beautiful area. The village of Vorden is known as the castle village because it has no fewer than eight castles. Vorden itself originated as a ford in the strategically located stream that flowed there. Castles were built near the stream. Owning a castle was of great importance to the person who could afford to have such a castle built. That person could then become a knight, get a noble title and hold important positions in public administration. The downside, however, was that your fortress became the target of looters or conquerors. The castles around Lochem and Vorden were spared, but during the disaster year 1672, many castles in southern Gelderland were wholly or partly destroyed by the French occupiers. Castle lords were given a choice; pay a few Reichsthalers or see half your castle pulverised. But even after payment, the noble man or woman often became the victim of ruthless violence. After all, there was something to gain. Standards of decency were set aside when one smelled money. The Eighty Years' War, which had ended shortly before (1648), did leave its mark on the castles around Lochem and Vorden. The Spanish troops besieged, plundered and destroyed Den Bramel castle in 1645. Den Bramel remained a ruin until 1720. In the six years that followed, the castle was restored to its former glory. Vorden Castle was besieged and plundered in 1580 and restored thirty years later. Huis Medler, too, is suspected to have fallen prey to war crimes. Because the Achterhoek was at the time a buffer zone between enemy forces in the east and Holland in the west, it is rumoured today that William of Orange wanted to destroy and depopulate the county of Zutphen. The Spanish armies would then no longer find food in the area and be weakened. Further marching to Leiden, Amsterdam and Delft would then be out of the question. This is also evident from an anguished letter from the city council of Zutphen in 1581, which has been preserved to this day. This plan of destruction succeeded only partially. The fortified castles around Vorden were in hard-to-reach areas and survived the various wars. The periods that followed were relatively peaceful until the Second World War. During that period, numerous Dutch castles were severely damaged, but the castles and country estates in the Achterhoek escaped this dance. Often by succession, the castles came into the hands of the children and grandchildren from the noble lineage. By now, it is quite a job to keep the historical buildings in good condition. Today, De Wildenborch, Vorden Castle, Den Bramel and many other castles are located in woody natural beauty and have (limited) access. Castle Vorden in particular catches the eye if you want to taste the atmosphere of a castle up close. The originally military structure has been inhabited since 1315. The Lords of Vorden were powerful knights in the Duchy of Gelre. Their coat of arms still adorns the shutters of the castle. Since then, several noble families have inhabited the castle, where they enjoyed the privileges their noble status gave them. Anno 2024, Ms Karin de Rouw lives at the castle. Karin provides maintenance of the building and conducts guided tours and audio tours. It is possible to stay overnight there via an Airbnb construction. This Premium cycling route was compiled by our editor: Martin van Rhee.
| Directions | Distance | Total distance | |
|
Start: Tusseler 7, 7241 KA Lochem | 49.7 KM | |
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From
14
to
52
|
2848 M | 2.8 KM | |
| Head southeast on Onder Langs | 60 M | ||
| Turn right to stay on Onder Langs | 453 M | ||
| Turn left to stay on Onder Langs | 28 M | ||
| Make a slight right to stay on Onder Langs | 1.3 KM | ||
| Turn right onto Schoneveldsdijk | 635 M | ||
| Make a slight left onto Looweg | 347 M | ||
| You are now at section 52 | 0 M | ||
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From
52
to
51
|
4054 M | 4.1 KM | |
| Head southwest on Brinkerinkweg | 201 M | ||
| Turn right onto Schoneveldsdijk | 152 M | ||
| Make a slight left onto Maatweg | 860 M | ||
| Make a slight left onto Dollehoedsdijk | 1.7 KM | ||
| Make a slight left onto Vordensebinnenweg | 634 M | ||
| Keep right onto Vordensebinnenweg | 512 M | ||
| You are now at section 51 | 0 M | ||
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From
51
to
57
|
2632 M | 2.6 KM | |
| Head southwest on Vordensebinnenweg | 790 M | ||
| Turn left onto Galgengoorweg | 1.8 KM | ||
| You are now at section 57 | 0 M | ||
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From
57
to
59
|
4306 M | 4.3 KM | |
| Head east on Mosselseweg | 744 M | ||
| Turn right onto Wiersserbroekweg | 3.6 KM | ||
| You are now at section 59 | 0 M | ||
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From
59
to
65
|
1282 M | 1.3 KM | |
| Head southwest on Kleine Wiersse | 329 M | ||
| Turn left to stay on Kleine Wiersse | 953 M | ||
| You are now at section 65 | 0 M | ||
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From
65
to
64
|
4847 M | 4.8 KM | |
| Head west on Wiersseweg | 2.7 KM | ||
| Turn left onto Wiersserallee | 41 M | ||
| Turn right onto Ruurloseweg | 397 M | ||
| Turn left onto Onsteinseweg | 991 M | ||
| Make a slight left to stay on Onsteinseweg | 697 M | ||
| You are now at section 64 | 0 M | ||
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From
64
to
63
|
2065 M | 2.1 KM | |
| Head south on Onsteinseweg | 355 M | ||
| Turn left onto Schuttestraat | 111 M | ||
| Turn right onto Zelledijk | 208 M | ||
| Turn right onto Lindeseweg | 1.4 KM | ||
| You are now at section 63 | 0 M | ||
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From
63
to
62
|
1153 M | 1.2 KM | |
| Head west on Lindeseweg | 90 M | ||
| Turn left onto Zomervreugdweg | 579 M | ||
| Turn right to stay on Zomervreugdweg | 484 M | ||
| You are now at section 62 | 0 M | ||
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From
62
to
93
|
2348 M | 2.3 KM | |
| Head north on Lieferinkweg | 638 M | ||
| Turn left onto Lindeseweg | 562 M | ||
| Turn right onto Waarlerweg | 1.1 KM | ||
| You are now at section 93 | 0 M | ||
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From
93
to
89
|
2143 M | 2.1 KM | |
| Head northwest | 651 M | ||
| Turn right onto Vordensebosweg | 168 M | ||
| Turn left onto Schuttestraat | 159 M | ||
| Turn left | 74 M | ||
| Turn right | 298 M | ||
| Turn right onto de Horsterkamp | 321 M | ||
| Turn right onto Ruurloseweg | 70 M | ||
| Turn left onto Dorpsstraat | 61 M | ||
| Turn left onto Ruurloseweg | 14 M | ||
| Turn left onto Stationsweg | 4 M | ||
| Turn right onto Dorpsstraat | 323 M | ||
| You are now at section 89 | 0 M | ||
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From
89
to
86
|
1475 M | 1.5 KM | |
| Head north on Dorpsstraat | 32 M | ||
| Turn right onto Burgemeester Galleestraat | 413 M | ||
| Turn left onto Almenseweg | 178 M | ||
| Turn right onto Overweg | 95 M | ||
| Turn left onto Zelstweg | 757 M | ||
| You are now at section 86 | 0 M | ||
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From
86
to
81
|
3323 M | 3.3 KM | |
| Head west on Lekkebekje | 722 M | ||
| Turn right onto Almenseweg | 178 M | ||
| Turn left | 502 M | ||
| Turn right | 28 M | ||
| Turn right | 179 M | ||
| Turn left onto Almenseweg | 632 M | ||
| Turn left onto Gazoorweg | 1.1 KM | ||
| You are now at section 81 | 0 M | ||
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From
81
to
44
|
3073 M | 3.1 KM | |
| Head north on Warkenseweg | 1.4 KM | ||
| Turn left onto Oude Borculoseweg | 817 M | ||
| Turn left onto Lochemseweg | 17 M | ||
| Turn right onto Oude Warkenseweg | 757 M | ||
| Make a slight left to stay on Oude Warkenseweg | 36 M | ||
| You are now at section 44 | 0 M | ||
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From
44
to
49
|
2478 M | 2.5 KM | |
| Head east on Lage Lochemseweg | 937 M | ||
| Turn left to stay on Lage Lochemseweg | 731 M | ||
| Turn right | 91 M | ||
| Continue onto Stuw Besselink | 28 M | ||
| Continue straight | 255 M | ||
| Turn right | 436 M | ||
| You are now at section 49 | 0 M | ||
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From
49
to
45
|
423 M | 0.4 KM | |
| Head southeast on Whemerweg | 393 M | ||
| Turn left onto Berkelweg | 30 M | ||
| You are now at section 45 | 0 M | ||
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From
45
to
46
|
3170 M | 3.2 KM | |
| Head east on Dorpsstraat | 812 M | ||
| Continue onto Ehzerallee | 1.1 KM | ||
| Make a slight right | 12 M | ||
| Make a slight right | 377 M | ||
| Turn right | 51 M | ||
| Turn left onto Velhorstpad | 4 M | ||
| Continue straight | 335 M | ||
| Turn right onto Velhorst | 453 M | ||
| You are now at section 46 | 0 M | ||
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From
46
to
16
|
1511 M | 1.5 KM | |
| Head east on Lageweg | 1.5 KM | ||
| You are now at section 16 | 0 M | ||
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From
16
to
15
|
4539 M | 4.5 KM | |
| Head northeast on Lageweg | 1.3 KM | ||
| Turn left onto Kijksteeg | 3.2 KM | ||
| You are now at section 15 | 0 M | ||
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From
15
to
13
|
974 M | 1 KM | |
| Head southeast on Tramstraat | 278 M | ||
| Turn right onto Mauritsweg | 20 M | ||
| Make a slight left onto Walderstraat | 350 M | ||
| Turn left onto Molenstraat | 107 M | ||
| Turn right onto Oosterwal | 19 M | ||
| Turn left onto Oosterbleek | 20 M | ||
| Turn right to stay on Oosterbleek | 180 M | ||
| You are now at section 13 | 0 M | ||
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From
13
to
14
|
1099 M | 1.1 KM | |
| Head west on Graaf Ottoweg | 51 M | ||
| Turn right onto Tuinstraat | 4 M | ||
| Turn left onto Oosterwal | 187 M | ||
| Turn left onto Smeestraat | 12 M | ||
| Turn right onto Graaf Ottoweg | 286 M | ||
| Make a slight right onto Zutphenseweg | 297 M | ||
| Turn left | 6 M | ||
| Continue onto Tusseler | 11 M | ||
| Turn right to stay on Tusseler | 245 M | ||
| You are now at section 14 | 0 M |