NETHERLANDS GUIDE

Koppelpoort. Photo: Sjoerd Mouissie
AMERSFOORT
History and hip hotspots in the same city
TEXT: DEBBY GROOTEMAN | PHOTOS: MARISA BROEKHUIZEN
A beautiful historical city centre, lively
squares and hip hotspots are just
some of the reasons Amersfoort is
worth a visit. Located in the middle of
the Netherlands, the city is easily accessible
by car and train. And with a
calendar full with events and festivals,
there is always something going on,
whatever the season.
Local Koen Overeem was born and
raised in Amersfoort. He is now the owner
of Rock City Brewery. “The name was
inspired by the history of the city. The
nickname of Amersfoort is ‘boulder city’.
History says that a squire challenged his
friends to bring a very large boulder over
a distance of around ten kilometres from
Soesterberg to Amersfoort by hand. They
succeeded and this was celebrated with
lots of food and beer.” Nowadays, that famous
boulder is displayed along the city
centre ring.
There are five main attributes that distinguish
Amersfoort from other cities, and
Overeem is undoubtedly the perfect person
to speak about them: “Amersfoort
has a rich history with beer. At one time,
the breweries here were even bigger than
Heineken. Beer culture is part of the city’s
DNA. And there is a great connection with
all the hospitality and welcoming terraces
that can be found in the city. For tourists
who are looking for something more than
just a canal tour – although this can, of
course, also be done here – Amersfoort
has many things to offer.”
A beautiful city centre full of history
The first thing distinguishing Amersfoort
from other cities is its beautiful city centre,
full of history. One of the great things is
that the old city wall is still visible. This was
previously used as a protection against
enemies. Overeem explains: “Since
Amersfoort was a beer city, one of the
things that was thrown over the wall
40 | Issue 71 | November 2019