Oost Gelre

Battle of Grolle

Oost Gelre is a municipality in the northeast of the Achterhoek, Gelderland, Netherlands.

Understand

Oost Gelre itself hasn't got a lot of history. The municipality has only been around since January 2005, being created out of the former municipalities of Groenlo and Lichtevoorde. The municipality was initially called Groenlo, but was renamed to Oost Gelre 17 months after its creation.

Aside from Groenlo and Lichtevoorde, Oost Gelre also includes the villages of Eefsele, Harreveld, Lievelde, Mariënvelde, Vragender, Zieuwent and Zwolle.

Tourist Information

Groenlo

• 1 VVV Groenlo, Kevelderstraat 1, Groenlo, ☏ +31 544 461 247. (updated Oct 2016)
• 2 VVV Lichtenvoorde, Markt 11A, Lichtenvoorde, ☏ +31 544 375 775. (updated Oct 2016)

Get in

By car

When travelling from Utrecht or the Randstad, use the A12 to get towards Arnhem. Having passed Arnhem and Zevenaar, use the Oud Dijk Interchange to turn onto the A18 follow this highway past Doetinchem, and at its end, turn left to turn onto the N18. This road will first take you to Lichtenvoorde, after which it will guide you to Groenlo.

When travelling from the Northern Netherlands, use the E232/A28 to get to Hoogeveen, where you head onto the N48 at the Hoogeveen Interchange. Take a left turn on the first roundabout you meet. You'll now find yourself on the N36 driving towards Almelo. At the end of the N36, you turn onto the A35 heading for Enschede. You then take exit 26 (Enschede-West), and turn left towards the city itself. You then take the first exit followed by a right turn. Follow the road you now find yourself on (Afinkstraat/Usselerrondweg) and turn right onto the N18 once you meet it. Follow the N18, which will first guide you towards Groenlo, followed by Lichtenvoorde.

By public transport

To get to Oost-Gelre, which counts a grand total of one train station, travel from either the Zutphen or Arnhem Centraal train station, heading for Winterswijk. From Zutphen this will get to directly to the Lichtenvoorde-Groenlo train station. When travelling from Arnhem, head to Winterswijk or Zwolle. When travelling to Winterswijk, switch trains in Winterswijk, heading for Zwolle. Again, get off at the Lichtenvoorde-Groenlo station. From this station, you can take a bus going directly to Lichtenvoorde or Groenlo.

Get around

Though Groenlo and Lichtenvoorde themselves can easily be discovered by foot or bike, taking a car or bus when exploring the whole of Oost Gelre isn't a bad idea at all. You can use 9292 when planning your travels by public transport.

See

• 1 Stadsmuseum Groenlo, Mattelierstraat 33, Groenlo, ☏ +31 544 462 668. It holds a bi-annual reenactment of the 1627 Siege of Grolle (Groenlo). (updated Oct 2016)

Do

Events

Freestyle motorcyclist at the 2005 Zwarte Cross

• De Zwarte Cross: 20–23 July 2023 Lichtenvoorde. The biggest paid musicfestival of the Netherlands and the largest motorcross event of the world.  (date needs updating)
• De Slag om Grolle: 2024 Groenlo. Historical re-enactment of the 1627 Siege of Grolle/Groenlo, takes place every second year for three days in October together with a historic fair. There are hundreds of re-enactors from all over Europe, making the town look like it did in the 17th century for a few days, as well as tens of thousands of spectators.  (date needs fixing)
• PaasPop Zieuwent: . Pop festival held around Easter in the village of Zieuwent (date needs fixing)
• Flower Parade Lichtenvoorde: September. The Lichtenvoorde Flower Parade is one of the largest flower parades of the world, being in second place according to its jury. (date needs updating)

Eat

• 1 Grolsch Brouwhuys De Lange Gang, Kevelderstraat 15-17, Groenlo, ☏ +31 544 464 860. (updated Oct 2016)
• 2 Het Huys van Frederik Hendrik, Markt 4-6, Groenlo, ☏ +31 544 461 691. (updated Oct 2016)
• 3 Brasserie 1888, Beltrumsestraat 7, Groenlo, ☏ +31 544 842 684, info@brasserie1888.nl. (updated Oct 2016)
• 4 Welgelegen Stadscafé & Boothuis, Ruurloseweg 1, Groenlo, ☏ +31 544 842 233. (updated Oct 2016)
• 5 Restaurant De Leeuw, Rapenburgsestraat 9, Lichtenvoorde, ☏ +31 544 372 348. (updated Oct 2016)
• 6 Grand Café Markt 5, Markt 5, Lichtenvoorde, ☏ +31 544 374 444. (updated Oct 2016)
• 7 Achterhoek Steakhouse Beef'n'Bone, Dijkstraat 8, Lichtenvoorde, ☏ +31 544 487 122. (updated Oct 2016)

Drink

• Groenlo has its own beer, Grolsch, which is one of the more popular beers in the Netherlands. Many local café's and restaurants will have the beer on offer.

Sleep

• 1 Havezate Marveld, Elshofweg 6, Groenlo, ☏ +31 544 466 000. €152. (updated Oct 2016)
• 2 Hotel/Café Pot, Schoolstraat 7, Groenlo, ☏ +31 544 461 986. (updated Oct 2016)
• 3 't Zwaantje, Zieuwentseweg 1, Lichtenvoorde, ☏ +31 544 371 236. €100. (updated Oct 2016)
• Résidence Lichtenvoorde, Boschlaan 26, ☏ +31 88 500 2464, info@topparken.nl. Résidence Lichtenvoorde is located in the Achterhoek nearby the border of Germany. The nature nearby gives a lot of opportunities to take hike or spot some birds. (updated Aug 2019)

Go next

From Oost Gelre, the cities of Doetinchem, Enschede, Winterswijk and Zutphen can easily be reached in about 30 minutes when travelling by car. The same goes for these cities, excluding Enschede, when travelling by train. From Groenlo, a hop across the border into Münsterland may be rewarding, especially when taking into consideration that stunningly beautiful cities such as Dülmen can be reached within an hour.