Taking a walk across the rustic fields of Oldruitenborgh

The surroundings of the Oldruitenborgh Estate is varied. The buildings are surrounded by English Gardens. Next to the garden there is a park and woods with the ruins of castle Toutenburg (where the annual open air festival takes place). This is also a prime location for a photo shoot.
On the other side of the road there are historic gardens and another City Palace: Marxveld.

Famous places and towns like Giethoorn, Blokzijl, Kampen and Steenwijk are in easy reach of Vollenhove. Group arrangements in the area, with closing diner at Oldruitenborgh are one of the possibilities.

Vollenhove has, next to the former mentioned open air festival, also two other annually celebrated events de Havendagen (end of May/beginning of June) and the Flower Pageant (last Saturday of August). Vollenhove also borders two magnificent natural parks: The Weerribben and the De Wieden.

We start our exploration at the tourist information center (VVV-kantoor), beneath the outer harbor "Aan Zee". Here you can find an historic map of (*) of the town of Vollenhove.

The dotted blue line on the map indicates former canals and other no longer existing waters.
Canals and such of today are indicated by the continuous blue line.

The red dotted line indicates the locations of former garden domes and city gates. The out lines of the former Oldehuys (internal harbor) and the Rollecate (area The Vosken) are indicated by white dotted lines.

The Vollenhover canal at the outer harbor was, before the draining of Noordoostpolder, bordering the Ijssel Lake. (The largest lake in The Netherlands).

* Now take the stairs up, then go towards the inner harbor where you will pass the statue of the Durgerdammers, then take a left before the little bridge. This inner harbor used to be the Castle canal of the Oldenhuys. A castle that was build by the Bishop of Utrecht in 1165. Later on the canal turned into a fishing harbor, and is a yacht harbor at present. At the left side, next to the Big Church there's a map (*) of the grand Sint Nicolaas Church. This church is a two hall church dating from the second half of the 15e century. Continue reading at: http://www.belangenverenigingvollenhove.nl/

Nature reservoir surrounding the Estate

Oldruitenborgh is next to the nature reservoir of de Weerribben. When our ancestors discovered how to turn peat into turf, it drastically changed the landscape of Northern Overijssel rapidly. Within three hundred years, the peat was, that formed itself after thousands of years, dug up or drained. What remained is an area shaped by human hands: a 500 hectare counting marshland where slides of land alternated with water.

The peat was dragged out the so called draining holes (de weeren) and laid to dry, a midst creeks, on small long strokes of field (de ribben) Thus a landscape of land and water was created. The unique collaboration between man and nature created in its turn a remarkable Marshland of flora and fauna. Still nature at the Weerribben is on the move. Remnants of water plants sink to the bottom. In the more shallow becoming water other plants start to grow. And when these die the bottom rises again.

Because of this process of sedimentation and growth of the canals the so-called kraggen appear: flowing packages of remnants of plants. The kraggen form an ideal breeding ground for reed. In this region reed is been cropped for the use of roofing farms and houses. The reed is of a perfect quality. It is also called: the gold of the Weerribben.

The reed is cut during winter after the first night frost when it's lost its leaves. Then it is gathered into "field-bouquets" that later on will be used in smaller packages by roofers. Especially in the open western landscape of the weerribben you can watch the reed cutters at work during the winter and spring seasons. Marsh woods, hayfields, lots of water, waving reeds, singing birds, orchids blooming abundantly; that is the Weerribben. In 1992 the Weerribben were claimed as National Park. This means that this extraordinary area receives extra attention regarding nature conservation and development, scientific research and extra means of nature friendly recreation.

Source: Forestry Commission

Another natural area is The Wieden

The Wieden is a marshland that originated through draining peat in the seventeenth century. Through the existence of pulling-holes and creeks, reed-fields, hayfields and marsh-woods. The Wieden together with the bordering National Park The Weerribben forms one of the for most important low-peat-marsh fields of Western Europe.

The Wieden were created by gaining turf. When the value of turf rose, the drained pull-holes became wider and the fields smaller, sometimes even so small, that parts of land were completely destroyed by waves. This is how the great lakes came in to existence in the Wieden. The remaining pull-hloes slowly closed.

This process knows different stages, including rare so called drijftillen and trilvenen. These are thin floating vegetations that move along with the water. In trilveen grows Scorpion-moss a special kind of orchids. To keep safe the various stages of natural drainage and animal and plant life, Natuurmonumenten (Dutch National Nature-preservation trust fond) reopens pull-holes and also digs new ones. These holes will in due course close again to restart the process.

Thus after fifty to sixty years marsh-woods appear that exists of alder, willow and birch. Such marsh-woods are important for the illustrious songbirds like the golden oriole. In sumer groups fish here for eals. In winter many duck take their residency here. And in summer the purple heron breeds here in the abundant reeds.

The reed- and hayfields are annually cut, or else they will change into marsh-woods. To take away the mowing keeps the hayfield lean. Were remarkable plants can grow like reed-orchid and dotter-flower. At the shore line is waterzuring, where the fire-butterfly lays its eggs. The caterpillar eat the same plant and cocoon here too.

Natuurmonumenten will take care with the mowing of the hayfields not to cut this plant, just as the nectar plants like the kattenstaart and koninginnenkruid. The major fire-butterfly only lives now in Northern Overijssel and a few places in Friesland. Some parts of the reed are mown twice or three times per year by Natuurmonumenten. Here in the over-ripe reeds the karekiet and roerdomp build their nest. The grass fields are mown late, so the meadow birds like the grutto and the snipe can raise their young.

The woods around the duck-cages are sometimes over a hundred years old and used to serve to lure the duck to catch them. Nowaday they are a restingplace for many animanls. During boating trips you can visit the Great Otter cage, the oldest duck-cage in Europe.

Visitors centre Natuurmonumenten

The visitor's centre of Natuurmonumenten lays close to the: Sint Jans convent. The centre is situated at the former village of Beulake. In ancient days this old villages disappeared because of a tidal flood. In the centre one can receive information regarding the history, the plant and animal-life and the keeping of the Wieden. Here you can find videos and slight-shows and a library, there is also an old peat barn with tools that were used in the old days. At the centre you can get elaborate information on the many activities in the Wieden regarding walks, but also for cyclists and canoe-trips. From the centre various boat-trips through the Wieden are arranged. Even for an amount of € 5,= you can make a boat-trip. All excursions are by open-boat, under supervision of a qualified captain/nature guide. Start point of all excursions is at the visitors centre De Wieden in St. Jansklooster.

There also activities for youths which are also very interesting.

Source: Natuurmonumenten.