Blaricum: Heathland, Walks and Local History

If you are looking for a hotel in Blaricum, the area’s landscape and culture can help you decide what you are interested in during your stay. Blaricum is known for the extensive Blaricummerheide and Tafelbergheide heathlands. There are also short walks, a route with a specific stated length, and historical and cultural themes. This can help you decide whether nature, local history or a visit to the theatre is especially important for your trip.

Heathland and walks

Heemtuin Blaricum is the starting point for three short walks. The named starting point and the number of routes give you a clear reference if you would like to include shorter walks in your plans. One of these walks passes through the Warandebergen, a surviving glacial moraine. This moraine gives the route a specific connection to the formation of the landscape.

The Tafelberg- en Blaricummerheide route in Blaricum is 7.5 kilometres long and passes the Goois Natuurreservaat’s Schaapskooi sheepfold. Its length gives you a specific distance to use when planning your day; the named location along the route also offers another point of reference when choosing a walk.

A flock of 50 sheep leaves the Schaapskooi at around 8 a.m., can be seen in the nature reserve, and returns to the Schaapskooi on the Blaricummerheide at around 4 p.m. The approximate times describe the flock’s daily routine. At the same time, grazing by sheep helps preserve this special nature reserve: the animals are not only visible, but also play a role in maintaining the heathland.

Art, architecture and local history

The Kunstbordenroute uses 16 information boards in public spaces to showcase works by artists who lived and worked in Laren and Blaricum. The route thus connects works of art with the artists’ biographies and the names of the two towns.

The music pavilion at the southern corner of Torenlaan and Dorpsstraat was built in 1926 to a design by H. F. Symons in the Amsterdam School style. The year it was built, the architect and its style provide different points of reference for understanding the structure’s historical and architectural context.

Blaricum began as an agricultural settlement. The first people settled in Blaricum’s heathland and woodland landscape in the tenth century or possibly earlier. These beginnings date back well before the 1926 music pavilion: the first reference concerns the origins of the settlement, while the second concerns a specific structure.

Stolpersteine have been laid in Blaricum to commemorate victims of National Socialism. They add a connection to the memory of the Nazi era to the history of the settlement and its buildings. If you are interested in commemorative culture as well as architecture, this is a distinct aspect of local history.

Guided walks, theatre and getting around

The Historische Kring Blaricum organises guided walks through Blaricum. By arrangement, walks can start at a location of your choice. If a particular starting point is important to you, arrange the meeting place and start time before your trip.

Theater Blaricum hosts film and theatre performances as well as concerts. Check the programme separately if a particular film, performance or concert is a deciding factor for your trip.

Electric and regular Voi rental bikes are available at various locations in Blaricum, for example at bus stops and in residential areas. Providers and locations may change, so check the latest information before your trip.

For the broader travel overview: Blaricum.