Netersel circular walk 7.9 km
According to a deed dating from 1219 (held by Postel Abbey), Netersel was founded in that year. So in 2019, Netersel celebrated its 800th anniversary! The village originated from a stone house with a chapel and a farmstead belonging to Wouter Volcaert, the first lord of Netersel. The oldest evidence of human settlement dates back to the Stone Age.
The route starts in the village centre, after which you walk out of the village via two squares into a beautiful nature reserve. The area features a mix of small lakes and heathland.
You start the walk at Carolus Simplexplein. At the …
According to a deed dating from 1219 (held by Postel Abbey), Netersel was founded in that year. So in 2019, Netersel celebrated its 800th anniversary! The village originated from a stone house with a chapel and a farmstead belonging to Wouter Volcaert, the first lord of Netersel. The oldest evidence of human settlement dates back to the Stone Age.
The route starts in the village centre, after which you walk out of the village via two squares into a beautiful nature reserve. The area features a mix of small lakes and heathland.
You start the walk at Carolus Simplexplein. On the lawn, you’ll see a beautiful bandstand erected in 2006. If you walk a short way along De Hoeve, you’ll see St Anthony’s Church on your left. The church was built in 1950 to a design by the architect Geenen from Eindhoven, after the previous church was destroyed during the liberation in 1944. Inside the church, you can see a number of old and important artefacts, such as a wooden altar cross from the 15th century and a baptismal font from the 14th century. At the back of the church are two wooden statues of St Peter and St Paul.
Walk back to Carolus Simplexplein. You’ll find junction 4 here. From here, continue the route via the junctions.
Heading towards junction 5, you’ll pass ‘ De Buntsteker’, a bronze statue from 1994 depicting a man cutting bunt grass. The statue was created by Jan Couwenberg. A ‘buntsteker’ is someone who used to cut ‘bunt grass’ on the Neterselse Heide. The bunt grass was used to weave baskets and beehives.
Junction points 20, 27, 23 and 26 are situated on the Neterselse Heide. This is a beautiful nature reserve located north of Netersel . The Neterselse Heide is a quiet area featuring a mix of small lakes and heathland. You can spot various unusual plants and birds here. There are usually grazers in the area too. If you’re lucky, you might spot one of the animals!
Between junctions 20 and 27, there is a war memorial on the left-hand side. On 29 June 1943, an aeroplane was shot down here. It was a British Short Stirling III bomber, belonging to 149 Squadron. All seven crew members lost their lives in the crash. The men did not live to a ripe old age; their ages ranged from 21 to 31. On 27 June 2004, a com gedenksteen was unveiled in the presence of some of their relatives.
Near junction 56 stands a memorial chapel dedicated to Fons van der Heijden. This chapel dedicated to the Virgin Mary was built in 1947 in memory of Fons van der Heijden. He was a member of the Resistance who was shot dead by the Germans two days before the liberation of Netersel . The chapel stands approximately 50 metres from the spot where he was executed. The plot of land was donated by Toon Goossens, who owned the land during the war.
Here’s what you’ll see
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04
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56
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57
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70
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26
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23
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27
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20
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71
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72
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05
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04
- 04
- 56
- 57
- 70
- 26
- 23
- 27
- 20
- 71
- 72
- 05
- 04