A city trip to Arnhem.
Arnhem introduction
In the Netherlands there are a lot of cities which are worth a visit. Arnhem is one of them. It is a city in the center of the Netherlands, with National Park Hoge Veluwe just around the corner! If you like to shop, or view some historically important parts of the city, and also want to explore beautiful parks, then Arnhem is the place to be! The city also contains a lot of art and fashion, not in the last place because of the schools of art and fashion design which are located there. Did you know that for instance the famous fashion duo Victor & Rolf attended the school of Art in Arnhem? Continue reading!
The historical highlights
The city of Arnhem contains an important historical land mark. It is the John Frost bridge which was important during the major battle of WW2: the Battle of Arnhem, or maybe the code name Operation Market Garden sounds more familiar to you. Nowadays it is a monument for the allies who fought here during the final stages of WW2.
Further back in history we find the origin of the St. Eusebius church in the city center. This church dates from 1450 and is the largest church of Arnhem. The St. Eusebius church was heavily damaged by the battle Operation Market Garden, and was renovated in 1946 and 1961. Best idea was implemented in 1994: the church got an elevator! Since then people can easily access the top of the church building and from there they can enjoy a great panoramical view over the city.
A visit to the parks: Park Hoge Veluwe, Park Sonsbeek
One of the beneficial elements of the city is that it is surrounded by beautiful parks. In the north of the city you will first find Park Sonsbeek. It is 67 ha and it is also beautiful because of its hills. Even more beautiful the park is when snow has fallen like two weeks ago! A bit further to the north you will find park Hoge Veluwe. It is one of the largest national park of The Netherlands with its 5400 ha. The Kroller Muller museum you can also find here. This museum contains the second largest collection of the works of Van Gogh in the world!
Back to town: the new train station and more!
Since 2015 it is finally completed: the new train station of Arnhem! However, this station was worth the wait (and all the extra walks via stairs, and via ways around the construction during the building of it…) since it has become quite nice! The architects from UN Studio have designed the new building, and is meant to become the ‘new front door’ of the city. I am enthusiast about the result. The new station is light and large and its design fits in well in the athmosphere of the city.
From the train station you walk easily to the city center. Arnhem has a compact city center which makes it an ideal city for a day of shopping! You can find a lot of tiny independent fashion stores. For a lunch, drink or dinner there is also a lot to choose. For example there is this new hotspot Iveau Burgers and Wine bar. Exactly: you can taste the best burgers here accompanied by a good glass of wine! This combination is not common, but it’s a success! In 1016 Iveau won the competition of Best Hamburger Finest at a national competition.
Practical information
Arnhem is easy to reach by train: from Amsterdam every half hour an intercity travels to Arnhem central station. You can check the travel times of the trains online via this website. If you want to stay for a night in Arnhem, for instance to also visit park Hoge Veluwe, you can find and book a hotel easily via booking.com*.
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