Bike ride Amelisweerd

This cycling route takes you from the center of Utrecht to two beautiful estates: Amelisweerd in Bunnik and Nieuw Wulven in Houten. Both have a noble history.

The name Amelisweerd likely originated from a mention of the knight Amelis miles de Insula, which is Latin for 'Amelis from the Weerd'. Knight Amelis had a weir along the Kromme Rijn on loan from the provostry of Oudmunster in Utrecht. This mention was already in 1224. When the knight died, the estate was divided into three parts by his sons. Two parts are now known as Oud-Amelisweerd, and the other part became the current Nieuw-Amelisweerd.

The old part was recognized as a knight's estate in 1537. When Baron Taets van Amerongen acquired the estate in the 18th century, he had a bridge built over the Kromme Rijn and expanded the estate with magnificent gardens. He built a manor house as a summer residence, which was again surrounded by beautiful parks. You can still see this today when you cycle over the estate. In 1808, the estate was sold to Louis Napoleon, King of Holland, or the first king of the Netherlands. However, he did not use it for long; after just over a year, the king sold the estate again. The manor house is now managed by Museum Oud-Amelisweerd and is listed in the Top 100 of national monuments in the Netherlands.

The new part was actually already a knight's estate earlier; in 1350, with the name Groenewoude. In 1538, it was again recognized as a knight's estate by the States of Utrecht. The estate had various owners in the centuries that followed, such as Hendrik van Utenhove, who had the medieval house demolished in 1682 and built the current manor house. Since 1964, the building has been owned by the municipality of Utrecht, after which it became uninhabited. To the dismay of a group of young people in the 1970s, they squatted in the manor house and successfully: in the 1980s, on their initiative, the house was restored and made habitable with seventeen apartments. This national monument is still inhabited today.

The forest and recreational area Nieuw Wulven is named after the former castle and knight's estate Wulven, which was located near Houten. This castle was sold in 1827 to Baron Wijkerslooth de Weerdesteyn, who had it demolished five years later. Now, in this beautiful nature reserve, only the island with the moat of the castle can be seen. A special part of the densely wooded forest is the 'arch forest', where the trees form an arch. The other part is called the 'chamber forest', which is a straight forest with long sightlines.

The Rhine used to flow here. The water body at the Marsdijk still reminds us of that. Various archaeological finds have been made in the area, such as a Roman mask. A sculpture of this mask can be seen at the entrance of the estate. Signage, park furniture, and other objects also draw attention to the traces and finds from other historical periods.

Get to know beautiful historical estates from the bike with this route, a relaxing day of cycling around Utrecht!