Vreeland, the lovely, smallest "city" on the Vecht is named after the castle Vredelant built in 1250 by Bishop Henry of Vianden. This defensive castle was strategically located between Utrecht and Holland to keep the peace. The Vredelant castle played a decisive role in our history and was besieged by Floris the V, among others. Around the castle a village developed and after a church was built, Vredelant received city rights and the right to hold a market and collect tolls.
The large market was located on the main axis of the town, in today's Broad Street. The settlement had the form of a bastide: a rectangular street plan that is still recognizable! Not much has changed since the 13th century, which gives Vreeland its special character. Vreeland is just less than 20 minutes by car from Amsterdam, Hilversum and Utrecht in the beautiful Vecht region. The Vecht and its surroundings has many tourist attractions and is a breath of fresh air for nature lovers. Biking, hiking, boating on the Vecht: the opportunities for recreation are ample and creates an upbeat dynamic among visitors and passersby.
The river Vecht runs straight through the village of Vreeland. The beautiful Van Leer bridge, a double iron swing bridge was placed here in 1945 after the old wooden swing bridge was destroyed. On the side of the Voorstraat is a beautiful 19th-century bridge keeper's house.
Several bicycle routes run through the village as well as two important hiking trails: the Floris de Vijfde trail and, since 2004, the Waterlinie trail. In addition, Vreeland has the polo center and the barrel factory of the multinational Greif (formerly Van Leer). There are no less than 68 national monuments in Vreeland, including the Sint Nicolaaskerk (built 1265-1275) and the buitenplaats de Plantage. In addition, the monumental military Kazemat (1935), part of the Nieuwe Hollandse Waterlinie (New Dutch Waterline), has been placed on Unesco's World Heritage List since 2021.
The corn mill De Ruiter on the Vecht, supplies our primal flour for the preparation of our delicious traditionally baked pancakes.