The Freedom Route
Freedom and humanity are themes that continue to connect. Getting to know each other’s history and exchanging experiences about it is more important than ever in this day and age. The Freedom Route brings these themes to life with stories and monuments that make the history of our region visible.
Cycle along traces of freedom
The Freedom Route consists of five unique cycling routes through the Achterhoek and Liemers. Along the way, you will pass locations that serve as reminders of the Second World War and the long road to liberation. From impressive monuments to hidden stories in the landscape — each route makes you think about what happened then and why freedom is still so important today.
Download the digital route booklets (pdf):
- Route 1: In Resistance!
- Route 2: Across the Border
- Route 3: War and Freedom in the Liemers
- Route 4: A tough road to freedom
- Route 5: Pilots and minorities
Download the gpx files:
- In Resistance.gpx
- Across the Border.gpx
- War and Freedom in the Liemers.gpx
- A tough road to freedom.gpx
- Pilots and minorities.gpx
Use with apps like Komoot, Strava, and AllTrails.
Watch along: the video series The Freedom Route
In addition to the cycling routes, a short video series has been made that takes you to a number of special places. In three episodes, you will see how personal stories, historical events and impressive locations come together in today’s landscape.
🎥 Watch the episodes:
The Freedom Route (episode 1) – Berkelland, Aalten, Winterswijk & East Gelre
The Freedom Route (episode 2) – Doetinchem, Bronckhorst, Montferland & Oude IJsselstreek
The Freedom Route (episode 3) – Zevenaar, Duiven, Westervoort
Freedom Quartet as a starting point
The cycling routes and videos were developed by the Freedom Quartet, part of the Regional Programme Freedom Achterhoek and Liemers. Municipalities provided their own stories for this.
The participating municipalities are: Aalten, Berkelland, Bronckhorst, Doetinchem, Duiven, Montferland, Oost Gelre, Oude IJsselstreek, Westervoort, Winterswijk and Zevenaar.
The Freedom Route is made possible by the Province of Gelderland. This cross-border program contributes to more connection, encounter, exchange about freedom and the realization that freedom cannot be taken for granted and that everyone can pass on freedom.
