Rhederoord is an historic country estate which was formed by the purchase of a succession of plots of land and farms in the 17th century. One such plot is a park on the southern slopes of the Veluwezoom, featuring rare, exotic trees. The estate is now a protected national monument.
The Rhederoord Estate
The Rhederoord Estate came into being in the 17th century, when William Everwijn purchased a number of farms and meadows in the area between Rheden and De Steeg. His grandson, William Reynier Brantsen, the mayor of Arnhem, came from a prominent merchant family in Gelderland’s aristocracy. He built a house on the estate and laid out a park in the French Baroque style. The house and park have undergone various changes since then, each time being updated to the style of the time. The Brantsen family retained ownership of the estate until 1911.
Giant trees
In 1868, the park was redesigned again, this time by the German landscape architect, Eduard Petzold, who introduced rare and exotic trees, such as sequoias. These giant trees, some now over 150 years old, flourish thanks to their position on the sheltered southern slope of the moraine. Some of the sequoias and a copper beech are now more than 40 metres tall, which is very uncommon in the Netherlands. Visitors can walk for hours through the 40-hectare park which features sloping paths offering stunning vistas of the house, the copses and the IJssel Valley.
Mansion and coach house
In 1970, Rhederoord House became a national heritage site. Thirty years later, the estate with its buildings and ornaments, a cistern and a kitchen garden was declared a protected national monument. The estate has been privately owned since 2003 and the house itself is now operated as a hotel, as well as a venue for conferences and weddings. The coach house contains a restaurant and a WellBeing Centre. In 2010, a natural spring was found during renovations. The Veluwe water from the 159-metre-deep well seeped through all the earth’s layers to the spring some 4,000 years ago. This pure water is now served in the restaurant.
