Dieren () is a town 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 ...

. It is located in Rheden,

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 ...

, between Zutphen and

Arnhem Arnhem ( ; ; Central Dutch dialects, Ernems: ''Èrnem'') is a Cities of the Netherlands, city and List of municipalities of the Netherlands, municipality situated in the eastern part of the Netherlands, near the German border. It is the capita ...

, on the bank 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 ...

. Dieren was a separate municipality until 1818, when it became a part of Rheden. The Gazelle bicycle factory is located in Dieren.

History

" Hof te Dieren" was the house of the Dutch Stadtholder Frederik Hendrik of Orange,

William II, Prince of Orange William II (Dutch language, Dutch: ''Willem II''; 27 May 1626 – 6 November 1650) was sovereign Prince of Orange and Stadtholder of County of Holland, Holland, County of Zeeland, Zeeland, Lordship of Utrecht, Utrecht, Guelders, Lordship of Ove ...

, William III of Orange and

William IV of Orange William IV (Willem Karel Hendrik Friso; 1 September 1711 – 22 October 1751) was Prince of Orange from birth and the first hereditary stadtholder of all the Dutch Republic, United Provinces of the Netherlands from 1747 until his death in 1751. D ...

. They enlarged the house and held hunting parties in the nearby woods. A road was built, connecting Dieren to

The Hague The Hague ( ) is the capital city of the South Holland province of the Netherlands. With a population of over half a million, it is the third-largest city in the Netherlands. Situated on the west coast facing the North Sea, The Hague is the c ...

, which is called the "Koningsweg". The road can still be found in many places in the

, such as Otterlo. The house was heavily damaged by Canadian soldiers during the liberation of the Netherlands, as they were under the wrong impression that German SS soldiers were located in the house. They were actually located in "Avegoor", a building located to the south-west of Dieren.

Economy

Manufacturing

The

Gazelle (bicycle) Royal Dutch Gazelle is the largest and most famous bicycle manufacturer in the Netherlands. The company employs 550 workers at its factory in Dieren, Netherlands, producing 300,000 bicycles a year. Total production has passed 13 million. Histor ...

factory is located in Dieren and employs 550. It produces 300,000 bicycles a year, with a total production of over 13 million. Dieren was home to the Lonka Dieren www.donkers.nl
confectionery manufacturer (formerly known as Chocolade-en Suikerwerkenfabriek Donkers BV). Lonka Dieren was the leading manufacturer of pectin-based confectionery covered in chocolate in the

. Lonka Dieren has been in business over 75 years, and moved from

Amsterdam Amsterdam ( , ; ; ) is the capital of the Netherlands, capital and Municipalities of the Netherlands, largest city of the Kingdom of the Netherlands. It has a population of 933,680 in June 2024 within the city proper, 1,457,018 in the City Re ...

in 1955 due to lack of space. In 2016, the factory again moved to Slovakia because of cost savings.

Tourism

Hendrik Frans de Cort - View of the Castle of Dieren

Dieren is located on the edge of the Veluwezoom National Park. With over 12,000 acres, this nature reserve offers trails for hiking, bicycling or horseriding. There is also a mountain bike route. One feature of the park is the Carolina Hill with trails going out like spokes of a wheel in 14 directions. Wildlife includes deer and wild boar. The park is accessible via rail to the Dieren station and local bus to the entrance. There are also some parking lots at the entrance to the park. Dieren is also at the start of the Apeldoorn Canal. Originally built for transportation, this canal is now used primarily for pleasure craft like waterbikes and canoes, on the southern end on the east side there is also bike trails. The Uitvinderij in Dieren is a popular destination for school trips. It is a theme park where children play and discover. There is also an area where they can create works of art or mechanical objects. The Veluwe Steam Railway run by the Veluwsche Stoomtrein Maatschappij (VSM). This steam train connects Dieren with Apeldoorn, running through Eerbeek and Beekbergen. Dieren has a number of hotels and bed and breakfasts.

Transportation

* Dieren railway station

References

External links

Veluwse Stoomtrein Maatschappij website
{{Authority control Populated places in Gelderland Former municipalities of Gelderland Rheden