Winterswijk Henxel: Nature and Cultural Heritage

Winterswijk Henxel offers a variety of reasons to visit: places of remembrance, a municipal monument, a symbol of the connection between Huppel and Henxel, and landscapes featuring woodland, a stream, an estate and a vineyard. If you are looking for a hotel in Winterswijk Henxel, themes such as history, nature and wine culture can help you decide what to focus on during your trip.

Culture and remembrance in Henxel

The Hendrik-Bruntink Monument commemorates a Dutch soldier who fell in battle against the occupying forces during the May Days of 1940, in the outpost line on the Grebbeberg. The memorial is set into the wall beside the playground next to Emmaschool on Vredenseweg in the hamlet of Henxel. The natural stone relief is built into a brick wall. For historical context, it is worth distinguishing between the locations: the monument is in Henxel, while the death it commemorates took place on the Grebbeberg.

The “De Lappenschaar” complex offers a different kind of cultural connection. It is located at Vredenseweg 119–121 in Winterswijk Henxel and is designated as a municipal monument. The municipal decision to do so dates from 10 December 2024. Here, the focus is on its designation as a monument; the Hendrik-Bruntink Monument, by contrast, commemorates an individual soldier and a specific wartime event.

The “Vrijheidsboom Huppel en Henxel” (Freedom Tree of Huppel and Henxel) adds another dimension. It stands where the Ratumse beek forms the exact boundary between Huppel and Henxel. The word “Noaberschap” was chosen to express the close connection between the two hamlets. Unlike the commemoration of the soldier, this cultural message focuses on the relationship between Huppel and Henxel. The location on the boundary and the choice of word go together: the tree stands exactly on the line separating the two hamlets and at the same time represents their close ties.

Landscape of woodland, stream and estate

The Döttinkrade nature area in Henxel, locally called “Döttenkrö”, is characterized by beautiful deciduous forests and the meandering Ratumse beek. “Meandering” describes the stream’s winding course; the waterway is just as much a part of the landscape as the woodland. Nature lovers will find a particular focus here on deciduous forest and the stream landscape.

The Gossink estate in Henxel offers a different kind of landscape. This park-like estate lies around the Gossink and Nieuw Gossink farms. Its surroundings include arable land, pasture, old beech avenues and ponds. The landscape ranges from farmland to rows of trees and bodies of water. This makes the estate’s described character different from Döttinkrade’s combination of woodland and a meandering stream.

The terrain also forms part of Henxel’s landscape: elongated cover-sand ridges rise up to three metres above the surrounding area. This detail adds another aspect to the descriptions of woodland, stream, fields, pasture and ponds. The natural features can thus be distinguished by their specific characteristics, rather than reduced to a general idea of rural scenery.

Walking and wine

The Döttinkrade Route is one of the walks offered by the Achterhoek walking route network, starting at Camping ’t Wieskamp at Kobstederweg 13 in Winterswijk Henxel. Signs bearing red footprints mark the route. If you would like to include a walk in your travel plans, you have two practical reference points: the starting point mentioned above and the red route markers.

Wijngaard Hesselink is a 3.5-hectare vineyard in Winterswijk-Henxel. Guests can sit on the terrace overlooking the vineyard and taste the wines produced by the winery. This offers a different focus from the walk or historical sites: here, the vineyard and wine tasting take centre stage. Before your trip, check whether the terrace and wine tasting are available on the date of your visit.

Discover more destinations: Winterswijk, Winterswijk Brinkheurne, Winterswijk Kotten, Winterswijk Woold, Winterswijk Miste.

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