Our municipality
About Oude IJsselstreek
Oude IJsselstreek is a new municipality. It was established on January 1st 2005, with the merger of the municipalities of Gendringen and Wisch. The name Oude IJsselstreek refers to the Oude IJssel river that flows through the municipality. The river has played a major part in the history and the layout of a number of large residential areas in the municipality.
Oude IJsselstreek is a rural municipality
The total area of the municipality amounts to 137.8 km². It has almost 40,000 inhabitants spread over 14 centres. Ulft has the most inhabitants: almost 11,000. Terborg is the only city in Oude IJsselstreek, with over 4,500 people. Ulft and Terborg, together with the villages of Varsseveld, Silvolde and Gendringen are the five largest centres of the municipality. The other villages are: Breedenbroek, Etten, Heelweg, Megchelen, Netterden, Sinderen, Varsselder, Voorst and Westendorp.
Visitors
The municipality of Oude IJsselstreek has a lot to offer to its visitors. Oude IJsselstreek has many scenic and recreation areas, such as the Engbergen forest, the Vennebulten, the Tandem, Noorderbroek, the Idink forest and Nibbelink forest. You can find piece and quiet in the midst of the beautiful nature. There are also a lot of possibilities in the field of sports. There are cycle and walking routes and facilities for canoeing, roller blading, survival trips and swimming.
Oude IJsselstreek has three swimming pools: the Van Pallandt pool in Varsseveld, De Blenk in Ulft (both indoor) and an open-air swimming pool De Paasberg in Terborg, which is opened during the summer season.
Places of interest
Our municipality's history is largely reflected in its buildings. During your tour through the landscape of Oude IJsselstreek you can visit for example Huis Landfort and the remains of Swanenburg castle in Megchelen. Other historic buildings that are opened to visitors are the Hofshuus museum farm and the De Engel mill in Varsseveld, the Gerrits mill in Silvolde and the Antonius chapel in Sinderen.
Especially the site of the former DRU factory is worth paying a visit. At this site some of the original buildings have been conserved, including the striking water tower, the porter's building and the boiler house. These all are beautiful examples of the 19th century industrial architecture. The property is a national monument. Together with partners Oude IJsselstreek is in the process of providing the total site and each of the various building a new functional destination. In 2009 the porter's building was the first building which was completed. It is now the cultural centre of Oude IJsselstreek with for example a theatre, a music school, library, art gallery, cafe/restaurant and pop podium. For more information, visit http://www.dru-fabriek.nl/.
Iron and metal play an important part in the municipality of Oude IJsselstreek. This is reflected in the many pieces of iron and bronze art that can be found in the municipality, especially in and around Ulft.
If you are an antiques lover you must visit the longest antiques street of the Netherlands. This ‘imaginary' street runs partly through the municipality of Oude IJsselstreek. It goes from Aalten, through the centres of Ulft, Silvolde and Terborg to Drempt. In addition to antiques and curiosity shops for the general public, there are also wholesale businesses that sell their products to retailers both in the Netherlands and abroad. Besides the inexpensive antiques and things from granny's days, such as pinewood furniture, appliances and curiosities, there are also various antique dealers who sell the real - expensive - antiques. For more information, please refer to antiekstraat.com.
Events
Every year there are events in the municipality of Oude IJsselstreek attracting a lot of visitors. For example the Survival Run in February, the Zillewold Summer Market in June, Huntenpop and the Equestrian Festival in September, the Achterhoek October celebrations, the Euregio Vocalist Competition in October and the traditional Goose market held in Gendringen in December.
Places of entertainment
There are a lot of cosy cafes and restaurants in Oude IJsselstreek where you can have some drinks and snacks. Entertainment centre De Radstake in Heelweg attracts around 4,000 visitors from all over the area every Saturday.
Staying the night
There are various possibilities to stay the night in the municipality. You can stay over at one of the many (mini) campsites, in a cottage or at a farmyard campsite. These are often suitable for large groups of people. There are also two hotels in Oude IJsselstreek: in Terborg and Silvolde. The inhabitants are very hospitable. Especially in Varsseveld, you can find many places offering Bed & Breakfast.
For further information on accommodation, activities and events, please contact the tourist office (VVV) in Ulft, Terborg or Varsseveld. Or visit our Tourist Information Office.
Industry
The industry in the municipality has its roots in the (former) iron foundries (Huts) along the Oude IJssel river. The iron industry, with well-known names such as DRU, ATAG, ETNA, BENRAAD and PELGRIM, provided many people with jobs for a long period of time. Nowadays, employment is more diverse. In addition to the iron industry, the inhabitants now work in the wood industry, agriculture, recreation and tourism. There are a total of 2,290 companies in the municipality, providing 16,510 jobs.
Accessibility
The centres of the municipality of Oude IJsselstreek are easy to reach. Terborg, Silvolde, Etten, Ulft and Gendringen are easily accessible from the exit on the A18 at Doetinchem, in the direction of Terborg (N317). Varsseveld and Heelweg are situated directly along the A18. From Germany the municipality can easily be reached via the A3, Isselburg exit.
The best way to get to know the municipality of Oude IJsselstreek is by visiting it.
We look forward to your visit.
Information:
Visit address: Staringstraat 25, 7081 BN Gendringen (the Netherlands)
Postal address: Postoffice box 42, 7080 AA Gendringen (the Netherlands)
Telephone Number: 0031 (315)- 292 292
Mail to: info@oude-ijsselstreek.nl