Keijenborg: Village History, Mill and Hiking

A trip to Keijenborg can focus on local history, craftsmanship, hiking or cycling routes. If you’re looking for a hotel for your stay, first decide what you want to focus on: would you like to choose a route, learn about historical topics or plan your trip around the annual fair? These topics offer different starting points for planning.

Village History and Architecture

Keijenborg developed around Bethlehem Monastery, founded in 1457. H. Johannes de Doperkerk is the Catholic village church and was built between 1930 and 1932 to a design by architect Jan Stuyt. The Booltinkcomplex is Keijenborg’s oldest historical heritage. The monastery’s founding date and the church’s construction period mark two clearly distinct points in the village’s history; the Booltinkcomplex, in turn, represents the oldest historical heritage in the village.

Mill and History of Technology

Molen van Sloot, also known as De Hoop, was built in 1851 as a gallery windmill for grinding grain. The surviving remains later served a different purpose: during the Cold War, from 1952 to 1964, they served as an observation post for the Korps Luchtwachtdienst. The remains of the mill are a Rijksmonument and can be viewed from the public road. The address is Hengelosestraat 17. This makes it possible to distinguish between the original use for grinding grain and a later observation function at this site.

Clog-Making Craft

Klompenmakershuus is a museum about the clog-making craft in Keijenborg. It shows how wooden clogs were made by hand; old machines, tools and other clog-making items are also on display. Visitors can watch the woodworking during demonstrations. At the starting point of the Gooijschepad, there is an exhibition about the clog-making craft. This means the craft is not just a museum topic, but also a specific point of interest at the start of this route.

Hiking and Cycling Routes

The Keijenborgroute is a 12-kilometre hiking route through Keijenborg and across ’t Hengelse Gooi. The Gooijschepad is 15 kilometres long and passes the Stammcafé of Normaal halfway along the route. It is therefore three kilometres longer than the Keijenborgroute; it also has a named point of interest along the way in the form of the café.

The Klompenpad between Keijenborg and Bekveld takes in a different landscape. The route passes through centuries-old esch complexes, enclosed one-person kampen and straight parcels in the Broek area. These parcels drain into the Grote Beek. The Monumentenroute Hengelo-Keijenborg, by contrast, is an informative cycling route through the villages and rural areas of Hengelo and Keijenborg. When planning, you can therefore distinguish between the hiking routes described and a cycling route, without assuming that all the routes share the same landscape features.

Fair and Other Topics

A fair with a procession takes place in Keijenborg every year around 24 June. It is organized by Schuttersgilde Sint Jan, founded in 1853. If you’d like to plan your trip around this event, check the dates for the relevant year. Another topic is the Opel GT Museum at the Opel GT Factory. It features collectibles and an impressive Opel GT collection—a distinct area of interest for vehicle enthusiasts alongside village, mill and craft history.

Discover more destinations: Bronckhorst, Steenderen, Baak, Zelhem, Olburgen, Wichmond, Hummelo, Toldijk.

Go to the main travel overview: Bronckhorst.