Discover Gelselaar

Gelselaar combines a protected village landscape with walking and cycling routes that vary in length and theme. When planning your trip, you can therefore consider whether you are mainly interested in the village’s history or would prefer a route with specific points of interest and activities.

History in a protected village landscape

Gelselaar is a nationally protected village landscape. The Hervormde kerk (Reformed Church) is the present-day Waterstaatskerk; it replaced an older chapel in 1841. At the Stokkink farmstead is a water well made of Bentheim sandstone, dating from 1575. It is considered the village’s oldest Rijksmonument (national heritage site). The location and contours of a former havezate (fortified manor) near Gelselaar have also been identified through archaeological investigations. The ditches and shape of the terrain have been made visible again.

A bronze writers’ memorial at the corner of Dorpsstraat and Schoolstraat commemorates three writers from Gelselaar: H.W. Heuvel (1864–1926), H.J. Krebbers (1852–1936) and G.A. van der Lugt (1879–1966). Together with the church and the water well, the memorial points to different aspects of local history: architectural history, a dated monument and people connected with the village.

Routes by length and theme

Two walks start at Café Florijn but have different focuses. The Ommetje Gelselaar is 7.5 kilometres long and can be shortened. Numbered points along the route indicate places of interest, described in more detail in the brochure and on the information board. The Meester-Heuvel walk is a cultural and historical tour through the heart of the protected village landscape. If you want to focus on local history, this thematic description offers a different guide than the Ommetje’s distance.

The Ganzenrondje Gelselaar is a cycling and walking route of about 13 kilometres through the village and its surroundings. Compared with the 7.5-kilometre Ommetje, it is the longer of the two routes listed here with distances; it is also described as suitable for both cycling and walking. The Boereneschpad starts at Pannenkoekenboerderij Erve Brooks, Broekhuisdijk 5 in Gelselaar. The bus stops Hondorp in Gelselaar and Baan in Geesteren are also listed for the Boereneschpad. Blue clog-shaped markers indicate the route in both directions. Check the latest route information about the course and markers before setting out.

Erve Brooks also has the Avonturenpad, an approximately one-and-a-half-hour walking activity with obstacles and games. Its duration and the activities described distinguish it from routes focused on village history, places of interest or a stated distance.

Ganzenmarkt and the goose-keeping tradition

The annual Ganzenmarkt takes place on the first Sunday in July in the historic village centre. The programme includes exhibitions, demonstrations, theatre performances and appearances by regional artists; the best goose shepherdess is also chosen. If you want to plan your trip around the Ganzenmarkt, check the date for the year in question.

Several places in Gelselaar recall the former tradition of keeping geese: a goose statue stands near the school on Van-Bevervoordestraat, a goose board game is located outdoors, and there is a goose pasture at Bevervoordeterrein. These memorials and the selection of the goose shepherdess at the Ganzenmarkt show how geese feature both in the village landscape and at the annual festival.

Discover more destinations: Haarlo, Nederbiel, Beltrum, Borculo, Geesteren, Eibergen, Ruurlo, Rekken.

For the main travel overview: Berkelland.