Gelderland

Introduction

Arnhem - St. Eusebiuskerk

© All Rights Reserved Herr Bert

Gelderland is one of the twelve provinces of the Netherlands. It is located in the Central-Eastern part of the country. The Capital city of Gelderland is Arnhem. Two other big cities in Gelderland are Nijmegen en Apeldoorn. With 5.136 km² Gelderland is the largest province in the Netherlands. There are almost 2 million people living in Gelderland.

Geography

Gelderland has two faces. The first is the south of the province, through with flow the Maas, the Waal and the Rhine. This is fertile flat land, the other part starts just north of the Rhine river. Here the land is a bit hilly (at least a bit more than in the rest of the Netherlands.) and a big part of the province consists of a Nature reserve called the Veluwe.

Cities

• Arnhem (capital city)
• Nijmegen
• Apeldoorn

Sights and Activities

In Gelderland you can find some good sights to visit. In Nijmegen you can visit the Valkhof, once a Roman settlement, and The Africa Museum. In Arnhem you can visit the Airborne Museum, the Open Air museum, Burgers' zoo and the Kröller-Müller museum. National Park the Veluwe is a beloved sight for people who like to go for a walk or like to bicycle through nature.

Events and Festivals

Four Days Marches / Wandel Vierdaagse

Every year in July, the Four Days Marches, one of the biggest events in the country takes place in Nijmegen. You have to arrange tickets for joining months before, but if you can't or won't be able to arrange it in time, there are also lots of side events during the whole week in which the Four Days Marches are, known as the Four Days Festival. On the last day, the marchers are greeted by thousands on the St. Annastraat, or as it's known for one day, the Via Gladiola. For more information about tickets and events, check the Vierdaagse Nijmegen Website.

Airborne March

The Airborne wandeltocht is a one day marching event that takes place the first Saturday of every September. The route goes along the battlefields and drop zones. There are 10, 15, 25 and 40 kilometers walks. Even if you are not sporty enough to join in, you can still enjoy the atmosphere and the celebrations, and pay homage to the veterans that visit the event.

Koningsdag (King's Day)

In 2013, the Dutch throne was passed on to King Willem-Alexander and what used to be Koninginnedag (Queen's Day) will from 2014 become Koningsdag (King's Day). The date will be changed to the 27th of April, which is the king's birthday. In 2014 however it will be on the 26th of April because the 27th falls on a Sunday. On this day the streets of almost every sizable town in the country come alive with activity.

Weather

Gelderland has about average weather for the Netherlands, with relatively warm (20-23 degrees during the day on average) summers from June to August and normal winter (0-5 degrees) from December to February. Frost and some snow is mostly recorded during winter, but rain and autumn-ish weather is the norm.

Getting There

By Plane

There is no commercial airport in Gelderland. The nearest airports are in Amsterdam, Eindhoven and Rotterdam in the Netherlands and Münster and Weeze, just across the border in Germany.

By Train

The big cities in Gelderland, can be reached by train pretty easy. Arnhem is about a one hour and ten minutes train journey away from Amsterdam. To reach Nijmegen from Amsterdam you need about 90 minutes. From Oberhausen (Germany) you can get to Arnhem in just 50 minutes.

By Car

By Bus

By Boat

Getting Around

By Train

By Car

By Bus

By Boat

Keep Connected

Internet

Phone

See also International Telephone Calls

Post

The rate for sending a postcard or letter up to 20 grams within the Netherlands is €0.46 (2010). Since 2010 there are stamps available for domestic post which no longer include the value in €. Instead, there are stamps available with either a '1' or a '2' as a substitute for value. The '1' can be used for letters and postcards up to 20 grams, while 20-50 grams require you to use the '2'-valued stamps (or two '1'-valued stamps of course).

Sending items to other EU countries will cost €0.67, while the rest of the world sets you back €0.89 per piece. Stamps are sold at post offices and supermarkets; often the place where you buy your postcards can also supply you with stamps.

Sending parcels abroad is more costly. A standard-sized parcel between 500-2,000 grams will cost you €9.10 for destinations within the EU, and €17.50 to the rest of the world. Parcel service is available from major post offices only; standard-size boxes are on sale there as well.

If you need to receive mail while moving around, you can have it sent poste restante (to be called for) to a post office of your choice, where it will be kept for a month. If you come to claim it, bring a valid ID, and make sure to have told the sender that the name on the envelope must be an exact match with that in your passport. For addresses of post offices, as well as more information, consult the TNT website.