Olst-Wijhe: IJssel Line, Country Estates and Nature

Olst-Wijhe offers different sides of a trip along the IJssel: monumental Cold War defensive structures, country estates and historic churches sit alongside nature areas and hiking and cycling routes. The sights provide specific starting points for shaping your stay around cultural history, landscape or outdoor activity.

Buildings, country estates and stories

The IJssel Line is a tangible monumental defensive structure from the Cold War, made accessible to the public for educational and recreational purposes. A self-guided walk starts at the Hospitaalbunker in Olst and passes various sites along the line. One of the stops is a Sherman Firefly tank set in concrete. This makes it possible to explore the history through specific structures and objects.

Kasteel De Haere was first mentioned in 1329; the present-day Havezate dates from 1559. The Landgoederen cycling route starts and ends at Kasteel De Haere. Landgoed De Haere lies on the IJsseldijk between Olst and Deventer. De Haere thus brings together a building with a clearly established date and a route with a set start and finish point.

Kasteel het Nijenhuis is considered one of the best-preserved manor houses in Overijssel. Visitors can explore the castle, café, sculpture garden and terrace. The garden features 100 works from the collections of Museum de Fundatie, Museum Beelden aan Zee and the Province of Overijssel. Landgoed Hoenlo covers 145 hectares of farmland, woodland and nature. The estate is open to visitors, but the park and house are not accessible.

A distinct literary connection leads to Groot Hoenlo: Harry Mulisch wrote his novel The Discovery of Heaven there. Bökkers Mölle, in turn, combines a mill with a bakery and brasserie. These places offer different points of interest—from a historic building and its art collection to literature and local everyday culture.

Churches and cultural history

The Dorpskerk Olst dates from the second half of the 13th century and is a single-nave Gothic building. Late Gothic wall paintings are still preserved in the choir vaults. The church and its tower were listed as Rijksmonumenten in 1971. In Wijhe, the Nicolaaskerk dates from the 14th century; wall paintings were uncovered there during restoration work in 1983. The two churches offer different chronological points of reference for the municipality’s architectural and art history.

The Infocentrum IJssel Den Nul has a permanent exhibition on water management, cultural history, and the flora and fauna along the IJssel. In Wijhe, Veermans Hof IJsselflora is a traditional Heemtuin, or regional ecological garden. Buitenwaarden Wijhe is also one of the nature areas of the IJssel Valley. Families can also enjoy a water playground and a Kabouterpad, or gnome trail, in Olst-Wijhe.

Nature areas and trails

There is publicly accessible Struinnatuur—nature for freely roaming—in the area around the Fortmond brickworks. In the Duursche Waarden, you can walk a boot trail between the birdwatching hut and the observation tower. The nature reserve largely allows nature to develop on its own. On a walk, visitors can see Scottish Highland cattle and Shetland ponies up close.

The Kozakkenveer is a foot and bicycle ferry on Fortmonderweg in the nature area near the brickworks. It can only be used on foot or by bicycle. If you plan to cross, check the timetable in advance. The municipality’s cycling landscape includes the IJssel, floodplains and ferry crossings; Olst-Wijhe comprises twelve villages. The Hazepad story cycling route passes through woods and nature areas, by meadows, farms and country estates, and along the IJssel.

There are also different route lengths and formats for walking. The Olst-Wijhe walking route is 24.8 kilometres long, is described from Olst railway station and can be joined at any walking junction you choose. A shorter route from Olst to Wijhe is about 11 kilometres long; from Wijhe, you can take the train back to Olst. The Hazepad walking routes from De Haere and Nieuw Rande can be downloaded to your phone digitally or printed. This lets you choose between a longer walk, the shorter connection and routes with digital maps.

Discover more destinations: Olst, Wijhe, Welsum, Wesepe, Tubbergen, Dalfsen, Wierden, Hengelo.

For the regional travel overview: Overijssel.