Zenderen between Kloosterpad and Esch Landscape

You can get to know Zenderen through its paths, landscapes and historic sites. The network of paths offers a variety of routes, while gardens and buildings provide further insights into the area. When planning your visit, you can organise these highlights according to your interests: the Kloosterpad connects several religious sites and sections of landscape; the building history of Erve Bekman tells of different periods.

Paths and routes around Zenderen

The Kloosterpad Zenderen connects the town’s three monasteries. There are four route options, covering 3, 5, 8 and 11 kilometres, which can be walked on any day. The different lengths make it easy to compare options when choosing your preferred route. Check the route length again before setting out.

On the Kloosterpad, the route passes through Landgoed Weleveld, following the Schouw paths along the Bornse Beek and the Oude Bornse Beek. Zenderen is also on the European long-distance walking route E11, which is also known here as the Marskramerpad. The Marskramerpad runs through De Kloostergaarde. This makes the connection between the long-distance trail, the garden and the Kloosterpad a distinctive feature of the local paths.

Several circular routes laid out by local residents start at the TOP-Locatie Zenderen on Hertmerweg. Zenderen is also an important hub in the Twente cycling and walking network. As the local route infrastructure may be updated, it is advisable to check the route before setting out.

Gardens and landscape

De Kloostergaarde is a publicly accessible garden in Zenderen that can be visited free of charge. More than 1,500 plants, shrubs and trees have been planted there; the planting may continue to develop. As visitor arrangements can also change, check them before your visit. The Marskramerpad’s route through the garden also links a garden visit with a walking route.

The publicly accessible gardens and woodland at Landgoed De Zwanenhof can also be explored on foot. Current visitor arrangements may change, so check in advance. The area around Zenderen also includes the open Esch landscape of the Zenderense Es. This landscape and the cultivated gardens offer different impressions of the surroundings: open Esch landscape in one place, planted garden areas and woodland in another.

The historic landscape also includes former commercial traffic on the water. Zenderen was an important bottleneck because of the Bornse Beek and the Azelerbeek.

Monastery history and Stations of the Cross

The Stations of the Cross were moved to the boundary wall of the Carmelite convent so that they could form part of the Kloosterpad Zenderen. The convent itself has been permanently closed since 2020 and can no longer be visited. Check its visitor status again before planning a visit. This distinction between the stations as part of the route and the closed convent helps with planning.

Another chapter in the area’s religious history began in 1927 with the opening of the Redemptorists’ St. Joseph Retreat House in Zenderen. Catholics from Twente went there for spiritual education and personal formation. This history broadens the picture beyond the monasteries to include a place of religious education and contemplation.

Historic buildings in Zenderen

The Erve Bekman farm complex at Albergerweg 19 comprises a 17th-century hall-house farmhouse with an adjoining barn, as well as a crosswise front house dating from 1880. The different dates reveal two building phases within the complex. The site’s historic urban-planning value is distinct from these, with roots reaching back to the 13th century. The history of the site therefore predates the buildings mentioned here.

Those exploring Zenderen through its sites will find several distinct themes: choosing a route on the Kloosterpad, gardens and landscapes, religious history, and buildings from different centuries. These differences can help you plan your stay around your interests without conflating the individual sites or their histories.

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