The Achterhoek (; ) is a cultural region and COROP area in the Eastern

Netherlands , Terminology of the Low Countries, informally Holland, is a country in Northwestern Europe, with Caribbean Netherlands, overseas territories in the Caribbean. It is the largest of the four constituent countries of the Kingdom of the Nether ...

. Its name (meaning "rear-corner") is geographically appropriate because the area lies in the easternmost part of the

province A province is an administrative division within a country or sovereign state, state. The term derives from the ancient Roman , which was the major territorial and administrative unit of the Roman Empire, Roman Empire's territorial possessions ou ...

Gelderland Gelderland ( , ), also known as Guelders ( ) in English, is a Provinces of the Netherlands, province of the Netherlands, located in the centre-east of the country. With a total area of of which is water, it is the largest province of the Nethe ...

and therefore in the east of the Netherlands, protruding into

Germany Germany, officially the Federal Republic of Germany, is a country in Central Europe. It lies between the Baltic Sea and the North Sea to the north and the Alps to the south. Its sixteen States of Germany, constituent states have a total popu ...

. The Achterhoek lies at the east of the

IJssel The IJssel (; ) is a Dutch distributary of the river Rhine that flows northward and ultimately discharges into the IJsselmeer (before the 1932 completion of the Afsluitdijk known as the Zuiderzee), a North Sea natural harbour. It more immediatel ...

. On the other sides, it borders Germany to the southeast and the province of Overijssel to the northeast. In 2015, the Achterhoek had a population of 389,682. The region is also called de Graafschap (Dutch for earldom, shire or county; namesake of VBV De Graafschap in

Doetinchem Doetinchem (; Dutch Low Saxon, Low Saxon: ) is a city and Municipalities in the Netherlands, municipality in the east of the Netherlands. It is situated along the IJssel, Oude IJssel (Old IJssel) river in a part of the Provinces of the Netherland ...

) because it coincides with the historical County of Zutphen. The region is predominantly rural, with much open space, forests and farms. The area around the town of

Winterswijk Winterswijk (; also known as ''Winterswiek'' or ''Wenters'') is a Municipalities of the Netherlands, municipality and a town in the eastern Netherlands. It has a population of and is situated in the Achterhoek, which lies in the easternmost part ...

is regarded as noteworthy. A well-known beer originates from this region: Grolsch beer was first brewed in Groenlo in 1615.

Language

The original languages of the Achterhoek are Achterhooks and Kleverlandish, varieties of Low Saxon and South Guelderish (classified as Low Franconian dialects). The language can also differ per municipality or town, even in such a way that a person speaking the 'Grols' variant (meaning the dialect of Groenlo) will pronounce words differently from a person from Winterswijk which is merely 10 km (6.2 mi) to the east, although they will probably understand each other. The number of inhabitants whose sole language is Achterhooks has greatly declined since World War II. People in the Achterhoek are raised with Dutch at school and the dialect is only spoken (sometimes) at home. Partly due to immigration from outside the region and the effects of national policy, the Dutch language is having a significant impact on the dialect. Many old words have been forgotten and replaced by their Dutch-derived equivalents.

Economy

Export Products *Export value of 20%: meat, dairy, fruits, and other crops. *Potatoes, among others, by Aviko. *Animal feeds, among others, by ForFarmers. *Technological products (such as Nedap) with over 25% export value.

Tourism

The downsizing of agriculture has contributed to the emergence of rural tourism within the region. The area is popular among those seeking peace or an active vacation. Various activities such as cycling (such as the 80-year-war route, Arfgoodroute), hiking, horseback riding, nordic walking, carriage rides, canoeing, and hot air ballooning, as well as stays at recreation lakes, such as Stroombroek, Slingeplas, and Hilgelo, are popular among tourists. Doetinchem, Braamt, Bronkhorst and Zutphen are the most popular tourist destinations. The majority of tourists visiting the Achterhoek region are from other European countries, including

Belgium Belgium, officially the Kingdom of Belgium, is a country in Northwestern Europe. Situated in a coastal lowland region known as the Low Countries, it is bordered by the Netherlands to the north, Germany to the east, Luxembourg to the southeas ...

Denmark Denmark is a Nordic countries, Nordic country in Northern Europe. It is the metropole and most populous constituent of the Kingdom of Denmark,, . also known as the Danish Realm, a constitutionally unitary state that includes the Autonomous a ...

, and

Ireland Ireland (, ; ; Ulster Scots dialect, Ulster-Scots: ) is an island in the North Atlantic Ocean, in Northwestern Europe. Geopolitically, the island is divided between the Republic of Ireland (officially Names of the Irish state, named Irelan ...

Municipalities

The largest cities in the Achterhoek are Doetinchem, Winterswijk and Zutphen. Doesburg and Zutphen are old Hanseatic cities. Both have centres with well-preserved historical buildings. *

Aalten Aalten () is a municipality and a town in the eastern Netherlands. The former municipalities of Bredevoort (1818) and Dinxperlo (2005) have been merged with Aalten. Notable inhabitants of Aalten include Angus Young, guitarist of the Australian ...

* Berkelland * Bronckhorst * Brummen * Doesburg *

* Lochem * Montferland (also considered part of Liemers region locally) * Oost Gelre * Oude IJsselstreek *

* Zutphen Doetinchem, Sint Catharinakerk RM13084 in straatzicht foto7 2012-07-22 14.54.jpg,

Zutphen, de Walburgiskerk RM41195 met stadsmuur vanaf de Martinetsingel IMG 3870 2020-03-31 13.44.jpg, Zutphen Raadhuis, Winterswijk, Netherlands 2019.jpg,

2024-06-06 Industriepark DRU in Ulft ZvD 06.jpg, DRU Industriepark, Ulft Museum Erve Kots ingang.jpg, Erve Kots, Lievelde 's-Heerenberg, Huis Bergh RM526787 IMG 5366 2020-05-09 10.34.jpg, Huis Bergh, 's-Heerenberg

References

External links

Website: Achterhoek TourismWebsite: Achterhoek PromotionWebsite: Achterhoek History
{{Coord, 52, 0, 15.58, N, 6, 23, 48.44, E, source:nlwiki_scale:400000_type:landmark, display=title Regions of Gelderland Regions of the Netherlands