Easy hikes and walks around Isselburg

I really liked the Wolf in this great environment.

Figure in the forest

Engbergen is a beautiful recreation area. Here you can hike on well-maintained paths or stroll along narrow trails between fields and meadows. It's a wooded and heathland area with wetlands and artificially created biotopes. For example, Recreatie 't Lohr, located at Lohrpad 2 in Voorst, offers accommodation directly adjacent to the recreation area. It's designed for group outings for team building or for school groups.

A beautiful route, also suitable for hiking. Since there is only one resident on this street, it's a pleasant place for cycling or walking. The street is a dead end for cars and leads into the Landfortseweg, which loops around Haus Landfort.

The Oriental dovecote was designed and built between 1825 and 1827 by Johann Theodor Übbung (1786-1864), the architect of the Prince of Anholt. The Oriental architectural style, with elements such as arched doorways, draperies with tassels, and a crescent moon, was popular at the end of the 18th and beginning of the 19th centuries. According to the descriptions accompanying the design, the dovecote was intended to house, among other things, 164 pairs of doves, as well as chickens, capons, turkeys, swans, and ducks. They were kept for their meat, eggs, and droppings, which were used as fertilizer for plants. The dovecote was severely damaged at the end of World War II. Around the year 2000, it was restored to its original condition. (Source: Information panel on the grounds)

The name Landfort refers to a ford (a place fordable) in the Oude IJssel river. Landfort Manor was first mentioned in 1434. Since then, the size of the estate and the exterior of the buildings have changed regularly. When the Amsterdam ophthalmologist and botanist Johann Albert Luyken (1785-1867) acquired Landfort Manor in 1823, he had ambitious renovation plans. In 1825, he commissioned the renowned landscape architect Jan David Zocher Jr. (1791-1870) to design a landscaped park. The manor house itself was also redesigned, according to a plan by the Anholt court architect Johann Theodor Übbing (1786-1864), which included curved wings. J.T. Übbing also designed the oriental-style dovecote. Landfort Manor was severely damaged in 1945. In 1970, "Stichting Geldersch Landschap & Kasteelen" acquired the external site. In 2017, "Stichting Erfgoed Landfort" took over the island and the surrounding land on a long-term leasehold basis.

The island with its small country estate is called "Het Kleine Erf" (Little Erf). When the Amsterdam ophthalmologist and botanist Johann Albert Luyken (1785-1867) acquired Landfort House in 1823, he had ambitious renovation plans. In 1825, he commissioned the renowned landscape architect Jan David Zocher Jr. (1791-1870) to design a landscape park. Jan David Zocher designed the island of "Het Kleine Erf" and the entire park. Today, several old and remarkable trees from that era still stand on the island. There are winding paths, embankments, flowerbeds, flowering shrubs, and numerous surprising vistas. Het Kleine Erf is accessible via two distinctive bridges. One is the cast-iron bridge from 1873. This bridge was built at the Isselburg Ironworks in Germany and was restored in 2019 by order of the "Stichting Erfgoed Landfort" (Landfort Heritage Foundation). The monumental bridge at the head of Het Kleine Erf dates from the early 20th century and was designed by a member of the Luyken family.

Country estates, such as Huis Landfort, traditionally had their own vegetable and fruit gardens. In the 17th and 18th centuries, the vegetable garden was a visible part of the garden, but later it was believed that these areas, with their manure heaps and work areas, should be hidden from view. Located some distance from the main house, garden walls and high hedges prevented residents and their guests from seeing them. This was also the case at Huis Landfort. The vegetable garden was not located on "Het Kleine Erf" (House Island), but outside the fence behind the coach house. A vegetable garden was always present and invaluable, as it supplied the kitchen with vegetables, fruit, herbs, and flowers throughout the year. The current vegetable garden at Huis Landfort has a modern design but was inspired by the historic vegetable garden depicted on a map from 1825, including the elongated, central carp or fishpond. After World War II, the vegetable garden was converted into a production orchard. When Haus Landfort came into the possession of the "Stichting Erfgoed Landfort" in 2017, plans were made to recreate the old vegetable garden, and it was completed in 2021. Today, it provides fresh flowers, herbs, and vegetables, just as it always has. (Source: Information panel at the coach house)