Car hire Apeldoorn

Introduction

Apeldoorn is the largest city in the Veluwe region, a forest area in the province of Gelderland. Apeldoorn itself also has a lot of green, especially in the - nomen est omen - Park area (Parkenbuurt), to the north of the city centre. In that area there are beautiful villas and stately houses. In recent years, the city centre has been renovated extensively, giving it a modern look. Critics argue that the city centre is boring.
In 1684, Steward Willem III bought huis Het Loo and turned it into a palace. The palace is situated on the north-western side of Apeldoorn.

Population

The municipality of Apeldoorn has 155,000 inhabitants. It is a fairly large municipality that also includes several towns and villages in the area. It was only in the last hundred years that Apeldoon developed into one of the major cities in the Netherlands. That development continues today, because thanks to the construction of new suburbs, the city will be able to keep growing, and in years to come reach a population of some 170,000.

Location

Apeldoorn is located in the Veluwe region in the east of the country. The city is situated in a green environment, with extensive woodlands to the east and to the south. To the south-west of Apeldoorn is the National Park 'De Hoge Veluw'. The Apeldoornse canal flows straight through the city, from the river IJssel near Zwolle to the same river near Dieren. Incidentally, the canal is no longer being used commercially.
Amsterdam is located 90 kilometres to the west of Apeldoorn and Enschede lies 75 kilometres to the east of Apeldoorn . The distance to Utrecht is 65 kilometres (from Amsterdam).

Economy

Originally, the production of paper was an important economic activity. It began at the end of the 16th century when Apeldoorn consisted of only a few houses. Nowadays, it is a typical service and government city. In the 1960's, several government services were moved to Apeldoorn (among others the IRS), and the large insurance company Centraal Beheer also has its main office in Apeldoorn. In addition, there are a few transport companies, and Apeldoorn tries to attract innovative companies in the ICT sector.
The city is building a large Omnisport centre, which will consist of an athletics and cycling hall, a top sports hall and additional facilities. When is it ready (in 2008), it will be the only accommodation in the country that will meet international standards for athletics and indoor cycling.
Apeldoorn works together economically with two other cities (Deventer and Zutphen) in the co-called 'City triangle'.

Airports

There are no (commercial) airports near Apeldoorn. The national airport, Schiphol Airport, is located at just over 100 kilometres from the city. Weeze Airport and Dusseldorf Airport inDusseldorf, Germany, is located at about the same distance.

Public transport

Every half an hour, buses depart from the railway station to the various neighborhoods in the city. During the day, additional buses leave for several suburbs, the Government buildings and the Gelre hospital. Dynamic signs at the bus station indicate the arrival and departure times of the buses.

The Central Station has an intercity status. The intercity from Amsterdam to Enschede stops in Apeldoorn. There are also regional trains to Zutphen.

Traffic and Parking

Apeldoorn is located on the A1 (Amsterdam-German border) and A50 (Zwolle-Arnhem) motorways. Outside the rush hours the city is easy to reach. The roads that lead to the centre are good and usually not busy. The city's shopping and entertainment centre is car free.
Smack dab in the centre there is a large car park (Marktplein), which is often full. However, there are plenty of alternatives; especially to the south and east of the centre there are many ways to park, There are no fewer than nine car parks and areas with a total of about 3,000 parking spaces. Dynamic signs indicate where there are spaces available.

Hotels

Apeldoorn has a reasonable number of hotels and bed & breakfast accommodations. However, most visitors spend the night in hotels in the surrounding area or on one of the many campsites. Most hotels are located on the edge of the city, and in the centre there is a 5 star hotel. Generally speaking, there is no need to book a room, unless you prefer staying at a particular hotel.

External Sources

For more information about Apeldoorn, we recommend Google, and the following sources:

• Wikipedia, Apeldoorn
• VVV Apeldoorn (Dutch and English)
• Municipality of Apeldoorn (Dutch and English)