Laag-Soeren is a village in the Dutch province of

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 ...

. It is about 4 km northwest of

Dieren Dieren () is a town in the eastern Netherlands. It is located in Rheden, Gelderland, between Zutphen and Arnhem, on the bank of the IJssel. Dieren was a separate municipality until 1818, when it became a part of Rheden. The Gazelle bicycle fa ...

, in the municipalities of

Rheden Rheden () is a Municipalities of the Netherlands, municipality and a town in the eastern Netherlands. Population centres Population of the seven villages on 1 January 2024 Topography ''Dutch Topographic map of the municipality of Rheden, Ju ...

and Brummen. It used to be a spa town.

History

It was first mentioned between 1830 and 1855 as Laag Soeren to distinguish from Hoog Soeren. The etymology is unknown. Laag-Soeren started as an ''

esdorp __NOTOC__ An ''Angerdorf'' (plural: ''Angerdörfer'') is a type of village that is characterised by the houses and farmsteads being laid out around a central grassed area, the ''Anger (meadow), anger'' (from the Old High German ''angar'' =pasture ...

'' located in a valley. In 1850, it became a

spa town A spa town is a resort town based on a mineral spa (a developed mineral spring). Patrons visit spas to "take the waters" for their purported health benefits. Thomas Guidott set up a medical practice in the English town of Bath, Somerset, Ba ...

because of the discovery of spring water. The bath house and sanatorium Bethesda opened in 1870, and closed in 1942. In 1850, the Priesznitz monument was revealed to honour Vincenz Priessnitz, the founder of

hydrotherapy Hydrotherapy, formerly called hydropathy and also called water cure, is a branch of alternative medicine (particularly naturopathy), occupational therapy, and Physical therapy, physiotherapy, that involves the use of water for pain relief and ...

. In 1840, it was home to 343 people. Hotel Dullemond was a large hotel in Laag-Soeren. It started as a manor house built in 1780. In 1906, Hotel Dullemond was opened and was a luxury hotel. After World War II, it started to become neglected and closed in 1970. The local

Rotary Club Rotary International is one of the largest Service club, service organizations in the world. The self-declared mission of Rotary, as stated on its website, is to "provide service to others, promote integrity, and advance world understanding, go ...

had its own room, but in 1976 decided to leave as well. The hotel has since then turned into a ruin.

Notable people

The 19th Century writer and journalist Paulus Adrianus Daum died there in 1898.

Gallery

File:Priesnitz monument, Laag Soeren, Netherlands.JPG, Priesnitz monument File:Laag-Soeren-harderwijkerweg-196850.jpg, House in Laag-Soeren File:Hotel "Laag Soeren", aanzicht - Laag-Soeren - 20128453 - RCE.jpg, Former hotel Dullemond File:Het rollend paard.jpg, The rolling horse statue

References

{{Authority control Populated places in Gelderland Rheden