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Hoge Veluwe National Park. Author Steven Lek .

Top 10 Interesting Facts About Hoge Veluwe National Park

Hoge Veluwe National Park (Nationaal Park De Hoge Veluwe), one of the most popular attractions in the Netherlands. It lies just eight kilometers north of the city of Arnhem. It also occupies an area of 13,750 acres, making it the largest continuous nature reserve in the country. It is also notable for its diversity of scenery, which includes everything from dense forests to high dunes.

1. It Was Established By A Wealthy Businessman And His Wife

The Hoge Veluwe National Park was established by the wealthy businessman Anton Kröller and his wife, Helene Kröller-Müller, who was an art collector. Anton Kruller bought the estate in 1909 and started the construction of the current park by placing fences, building a hunting estate (the design for which was made by famous Dutch architect Berlage), and releasing the additional game into the wild.

The exotic mouflons that can still be seen today were introduced in this period. The construction of the park lasted until 1923.

2. It Is One Of The Only Two Privately Owned National Parks

It’s unique in being a privately owned national park, one of only two such parks in the Netherlands (and the only one that is fully enclosed). Initially, it was built as a hunting park between 1909 to 1923, it’s now the country’s largest nature reserve and is home to an abundance of wildlife, including deer, wild boar, and mouflon (a rare breed of wild sheep).

3. It is An Important Destination For Bird-Watchers

Bird Sancuary. Photo by Avinash Uppuluri on

Hoge Veluwe is also considered an important sanctuary for birds and has long been a popular destination for bird-watchers. Other popular things to do include cycling and hiking on the many well-marked trails, and the reserve is also home to a sculpture park and art gallery, the Kröller-Müller Museum.

4. It Is Known For Its Tremendous Diversity Of Landscape

Hoge National Park Landscape. Author Deb Collins 

Hoge Veluwe National Park is famous for its tremendous diversity of landscape, which consists of a mix of thick forest, heath, and even dunes. Perhaps the best preserved and certainly the most interesting geologically of the country’s national parks. It also has a large area of sandy soil formed during the Ice Age. This fascinating scenery is interrupted in the south and east by moraines (large areas of rocky glacial deposits) standing between 80 and 100 meters high.

The park gets its present look from the Middle Ages when patches of forest were cleared for cultivation. The exposed areas were used for sheep grazing. Over time, the sand was blown off these bare patches, sometimes burying whole villages, with dunes building up and leaving some areas reduced to wasteland.

In recent years, efforts have been undertaken to restore the richly vegetated and game-filled wetlands that originally surrounded the area but have been laid dry over the past 150 years, to create better farmlands.

5. It Also Has A Variety Of Animals Only Unique To That Habitat

Red Deer Author Ernesto Velázquez 

Hoge Veluwe National Park is a wonderful place to visit for those who enjoy bird-watching and wildlife spotting. From strategic positions in the center and northwest sections of Hoge Veluwe, visitors can watch a diverse variety of animals, including red deer, roe deer, and wild pigs.

 Also frequently seen are moufflon, a species of wild sheep originating from Sardinia and Corsica. In winter, a variety of birds congregate in the park, including marigold finches, titmice, chaffinches, woodpeckers, jays, magpies, and thrushes.

6. Animal Lovers Have The Best Chance To Watch Wildlife Early Morning And Late Evening

For animal lovers, the best times to do some animal spotting are early morning and late evening, so plan your visit accordingly. You will need a park map upon arrival. It provides details regarding locations of wildlife observation posts and refuge areas, some of which are easily accessible by car. These are available from the entrances, visitor center, tea house, or park shop.

Interestingly, for those with an interest in flora, the park is home to some 500 different plant species. Many of these are rare and unique to the region, including numerous fungi, mosses, and lichens. Plant highlights include the protected common juniper; a small insect-eating plant called a sundew; dwarf viper’s grass (one of the country’s rarest plants); and the lovely marsh gentian, well known for its beautiful blue flowers.

7. It Boasts Large, Dense, Woodland Areas

The park is home to large, dense woodland areas consisting of conifers (particularly pine) along with rhododendrons and numerous species of deciduous trees. It’s particularly noted for its abundance of red oaks.

As with so much of the Netherlands, Hoge Veluwe National Park is predominantly flat, making touring by bike one of the best ways to enjoy its magnificent scenery. 6 Mode Of Transport Is Free With Admission To The Park

8. It Is Home To One Of The Most Beautiful Sculpture Gardens In Europe

The Kröller-Müller Museum is considered the cultural peak of De Hoge Veluwe. It lies deep in the forest. This world-famous museum lies hidden, boasting the largest private Van Gogh collection worldwide and one of the most beautiful sculpture gardens in Europe.

Further places worth seeing and visiting are the Saint Hubertus hunting lodge and the Museonder in the visitor’s center.

The museum houses significant historical art from famous artists like Vincent van Gogh, Pablo Picasso, Odilon Redon, and several others. 

9. The Only National Park Vincent van Gogh And Pablo Picasso works

Experiencing the artwork from artists like Vincent van Gogh and Pablo Picasso is a unique highlight that is not experienced in almost any other national park.  

10. There are Also Other Tourist Attractions Within The Park

The majority of tourist attractions within an easy drive of Hoge Veluwe National Park are in or around Arnhem, eight kilometers away. Must-sees include the Netherlands Open Air Museum (Nederlands Openluchtmuseum), an 82-acre site including traditional farms and homes, and the popular Royal Burgers’ Zoo, home to more than 2,000 animals and one of the largest zoos in the country.